AYESHA 

The  Return  of  She 


\ 


AYES HA 

The  Return  of  She 


By 

H.  RIDER    HAGGARD 


"  Here  ends  this  history  so  far  as  it  concerns  science 
and  the  outside  world.  What  its  end  will  be  as  regards 
Leo  and  myself  is  more  than  I  can  guess.  But  we  feel 
that  it  is  not  reached.  .  .  .  Often  I  sit  alone  at  night, 
staring  with  the  eyes  of  my  mind  into  the  blackness  of 
unborn  time,  and  wondering  in  what  shape  and  form  the 
great  drama  will  be  finally  developed,  and  where  the 
scene  of  its  next  act  will  be  laid.  And  when,  ultimately, 
thatyfwa/ development  occurs,  as  I  have  no  doubt  it  must 
and  will  occur,  in  obedience  to  a  fate  that  never  swerves 
and  a  purpose  which  cannot  be  altered,  what  will  be  the 
part  played  therein  by  that  beautiful  Egyptian  Amenar- 
tas,  the  Princess  of  the  royal  house  of  the  Pharaohs,  for 
the  love  of  whom  the  priest  Kallikrates  broke  his  vows 
to  Isis,  and,  pursued  by  the  vengeance  of  the  outraged 
goddess,  fled  down  the  coast  of  Lybia  to  meet  his  doom 
at  Kor?"— She,  Silver  Library  Edition,  p.  277. 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 


^ 


/7 


Copyright,  1904,  1905 
BY   H.    RIDER    HAGGARD 

Published,  October,    1905 


All  rights  reserved,  including  that 
of  translation  into  foreign  languages, 
including  the  Scandinavian. 


Dedication 

MY  DEAR  LANG, 

The  appointed  years — alas!  how  many  of  them — are 
gone  by,  leaving  Ayesha  lovely  and  loving  and  ourselves 
alive.  As  it  was  promised  in  the  Caves  of  Kor  She  has 
returned  again. 

To  you  therefore  who  accepted  the  first,  I  offer  this 
further  history  of  one  of  the  various  incarnations  of  that 
Immortal. 

My  hope  is  that  after  you  have  read  her  record,  not 
withstanding  her  subtleties  and  sins  and  the  shortcomings 
of  her  chronicler  (no  easy  office!)  you  may  continue  to 
wear  your  chain  of  "  loyalty  to  our  lady  Ayesha."  Such, 
I  confess,  is  still  the  fate  of  your  old  friend 

H.  RIDER  HAGGARD. 

DlTCHINGHAM,    1905. 


382 


Author's  Note 

NOT  with  a  view  of  conciliating  those  readers  who  on 
principle  object  to  sequels,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
Author  wishes  to  say  that  he  does  not  so  regard  this  book. 

Rather  does  he  venture  to  ask  that  it  should  be  con 
sidered  as  the  conclusion  of  an  imaginative  tragedy  (if  he 
may  so  call  it)  whereof  one  half  has  been  already  pub 
lished. 

This  conclusion  it  was  always  his  desire  to  write  should 
he  be  destined  to  live  through  those  many  years  which,  in 
obedience  to  his  original  design,  must  be  allowed  to  lapse 
between  the  events  of  the  first  and  second  parts  of  the 
romance. 

In  response  to  many  enquiries  he  may  add  that  the 
name  Ayesha,  which  since  the  days  of  the  prophet  Ma 
homet,  who  had  a  wife  so  called,  and  perhaps  before  them, 
has  been  common  in  the  East,  should  be  pronounced 
Assha. 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

INTRODUCTION n 

I    THE  DOUBLE  SIGN 21 

II    THE  LAMASERY 31 

III  THE  BEACON  LIGHT 49 

IV  THE  AVALANCHE 60 

V    THE  GLACIER 7* 

VI    IN  THE  GATE        .        . ' 82 

VII    THE  FIRST  ORDEAL 96 

VIII    THE  DEATH-HOUNDS 108 

IX  THE  COURT  OF  KALOON      ......     122 

X  IN  THE  SHAMAN'S  CHAMBER        .        .        .        .        .134 

XI  THE  HUNT  AND  THE  KILL          .        .                .        .146 

XII    THE  MESSENGER 163 

XIII  BENEATH  THE  SHADOWING  WINGS      .        .        .        .184 

XIV  THE  COURT  OF  DEATH 202 

XV    THE  SECOND  ORDEAL .217 

XVI    THE  CHANGE 238 

XVII  THE  BETROTHAL  .        .        .        .        .  \     •        .       .    248 

XVIII    THE  THIRD  ORDEAL 257 

XIX  LEO  AND  THE  LEOPARD        ......     270 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XX  AYESHA'S  ALCHEMY 285 

XXI  THE  PROPHECY  OF  ATENE  ......  305 

XXII  THE  LOOSING  OF  THE  POWERS 320 

XXIII  THE  YIELDING  OF  AYESHA 335 

XXIV  THE  PASSING  OF  AYESHA 347 


Introduction 


VERILY  and  indeed  it  is  the  unexpected  that  happens! 
Probably  if  there  was  one  person  upon  the  earth  from 
whom  the  Editor  of  this,  and  of  a  certain  previous  his 
tory,  did  not  expect  to  hear  again,  that  person  was 
Ludwig  Horace  Holly.  This,  too,  for  a  good  reason; 
he  believed  him  to  have  taken  his  departure  from  the 
earth. 

When  Mr.  Holly  last  wrote,  many,  many  years  ago, 
it  was  to  transmit  the  manuscript  of  She,  and  to  announce 
that  he  and  his  ward,  Leo  Vincey,  the  beloved  of  the 
divine  Ayesha,  were  about  ,to  travel  to  Central  Asia  in 
the  hope,  I  suppose,  that  there  she  would  fulfil  her 
promise  and  appear  to  them  again. 

Often  I  have  wondered,  idly  enough,  what  happened 
to  them  there ;  whether  they  were  dead,  or  perhaps  dron 
ing  their  lives  away  as  monks  in  some  Thibetan  Lamasery, 
or  studying  magic  and  practising  asceticism  under  the 
tuition  of  the  Eastern  Masters  trusting  that  thus  they 
would  build  a  bridge  by  which  they  might  pass  to  the  side 
of  their  adored  Immortal. 

Now  at  length,  when  I  had  not  thought  of  them  for 
months,  without  a  single  warning  sign,  out  of  the  blue  as 
it  were,  comes  the  answer  to  these  wonderings  \ 

To  think — only  to  think — that  I,  the  Editor  aforesaid, 
from  its  appearance  suspecting  something  quite  familiar 
and  without  interest,  pushed  aside  that  dingy,  unregis 
tered,  brown-paper  parcel  directed  in  an  unknown  hand, 
and  for  two  whole  days  let  it  lie  forgotten.  Indeed  there 
it  might  be  lying  now,  had  not  another  person  been 


12  A  YES  HA 

moved  to  curiosity,  and  opening  it,  found  within  a  bundle 
of  manuscript  badly  burned  upon  the  back,  and  with  this 
two  letters  addressed  to  myself. 

Although  so  great  a  time  had  passed  since  I  saw  it,  and 
it  was  shaky  now  because  of  the  author's  age  or  sickness,  I 
knew  the  writing  at  once — nobody  ever  made  an  "  H  " 
with  that  peculiar  twirl  under  it  except  Mr.  Holly.  I 
tore  open  the  sealed  envelope,  and  sure  enough  the  first 
thing  my  eye  fell  upon  was  the  signature,  L.  H.  Holly. 
It  is  long  since  I  read  anything  so  eagerly  as  I  did  that 
letter.  Here  it  is : — 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR, — I  have  ascertained  that  you  still  live, 
and  strange  to  say  I  still  live  also — for  a  little  while. 

"  As  soon  as  I  came  into  touch  with  civilization  again 
I  found  a  copy  of  your  book  She,  or  rather  of  my  book, 
and  read  it — first  of  all  in  a  Hindostani  translation.  My 
host — he  was  a  minister  of  some  religious  body,  a  man 
of  worthy  but  prosaic  mind — expressed  surprise  that  a 
*  wild  romance '  should  absorb  me  so  much.  I  answered 
that  those  who  have  wide  experience  of  the  hard  facts  of 
life  often  find  interest  in  romance.  Had  he  known 
what  were  the  hard  facts  to  which  I  alluded,  I  wonder 
what  that  excellent  person  would  have  said? 

"  I  see  that  you  carried  out  your  part  of  the  business 
well  and  faithfully.  Every  instruction  has  been  obeyed, 
nothing  has  been  added  or  taken  away.  Therefore,  to 
you,  to  whom  some  twenty  years  ago  I  entrusted  the 
beginning  of  the  history,  I  wish  to  entrust  its  end  also. 
You  were  the  first  to  learn  of  She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, 
who  from  century  to  century  sat  alone,  clothed  with  un 
changing  loveliness  in  the  sepulchres  of  Kor,  waiting  till 
her  lost  love  was  born  again,  and  Destiny  brought  him 
back  to  her. 

"  It  is  right,  therefore,  that  you  should  be  the  first  to 
learn  also  of  Ayesha,  Hesea  and  Spirit  of  the  Mountain, 
the  priestess  of  that  Oracle  which  since  the  time  of  Alex- 


INTRODUCTION  13 

ander  the  Great  has  reigned  between  the  flaming  pillars 
in  the  Sanctuary,  the  last  holder  of  the  sceptre  of  Hes 
or  Isis  upon  the  earth.  It  is  right  also  that  to  you  first 
among  men  I  should  reveal  the  mystic  consummation  of 
the  wondrous  tragedy  which  began  at  Kor,  or  perchance 
far  earlier  in  Egypt  and  elsewhere. 

"  I  am  very  ill ;  I  have  struggled  back  to  this  old  house 
of  mine  to  die,  and  my  end  is  at  hand.  I  have  asked  the 
doctor  here,  after  all  is  over,  to  send  you  the  Record, 
that  is  unless  I  change  my  mind  and  burn  it  first.  You 
will  also  receive,  if  you  receive  anything  at  all,  a  case 
containing  several  rough  sketches  which  may  be  of  use  to 
you,  and  a  sistrum,  the  instrument  that  has  been  always 
used  in  the  worship  of  the  Nature  goddesses  of  the  old 
Egyptians,  Isis  and  Hathor,  which  you  will  see  is  as 
beautiful  as  it  is  ancient.  I  give  it  to  you  for  two  reasons ; 
as  a  token  of  my  gratitude  and  regard,  and  as  the  only 
piece  of  evidence  that  is  left  to  me  of  the  literal  truth 
of  what  I  have  written  in  the  accompanying  manuscript, 
where  you  will  find  it  often  mentioned.  Perhaps  also  you 
will  value  it  as  a  souvenir  of,  I  suppose,  the  strangest  and 
loveliest  being  who  ever  was,  or  rather,  is.  It  was  her 
sceptre,  the  rod  of  her  power,  with  which  I  saw  her  salute 
the  Shadows  in  the  Sanctuary,  and  her  gift  to  me. 

"  It  has  virtues  also ;  some  part  of  Ayesha's  might  yet 
haunts  the  symbol  to  which  even  spirits  bowed,  but  if 
you  should  discover  them,  beware  how  they  are  used. 

"  I  have  neither  the  strength  nor  the  will  to  write  more. 
The  Record  must  speak  for  itself.  Do  with  it  what  you 
like,  and  believe  it  or  not  as  you  like.  I  care  nothing 
who  know  that  it  is  true. 

"  Who  and  what  was  Ayesha,  nay,  what  is  Ayesha  ? 
An  incarnate  essence,  a  materialised  spirit  of  Nature  the 
unforeseeing,  the  lovely,  the  cruel  and  the  immortal; 
ensouled  alone,  redeemable  only  by  Humanity  and  its 
piteous  sacrifice?  Say  you!  I  have  done  with  specula 
tions  who  depart  to  solve  these  mysteries. 


14  A  YES  HA 

"  I  wish  you  happiness  and  good  fortune.  Farewell  to 
you  and  to  all. 

"  L.  HORACE  HOLLY." 

I  laid  the  letter  down,  and,  filled  with  sensations  that 
it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  analyse  or  describe,  opened  the 
second  envelope,  of  which  I  also  print  the  contents,  omit 
ting  only  certain  irrelevant  portions,  and  the  name  of  the 
writer  as,  it  will  be  noted,  he  requests  me  to  do. 

This  epistle,  that  was  dated  from  a  remote  place  upon 
the  shores  of  Cumberland,  ran  as  follows : — 

"  DEAR  SIR, — As  the  doctor  who  attended  Mr.  Holly 
in  his  last  illness  I  am  obliged,  in  obedience  to  a  promise 
that  I  made  to  him,  to  become  an  intermediary  in  a  some 
what  strange  business,  although  in  truth  it  is  one  of  which 
I  know  very  little,  however  much  it  may  have  interested 
me.  Still  I  do  so  only  on  the  strict  understanding  that 
no  mention  is  to  be  made  of  my  name  in  connexion  with 
the  matter,  or  of  the  locality  in  which  I  practise. 

"  About  ten  days  ago  I  was  called  in  to  see  Mr.  Holly 
at  an  old  house  upon  the  Cliff  that  for  many  years  re 
mained  untenanted  except  by  the  caretakers,  which  house 
was  his  property,  and  had  been  in  his  family  for  genera 
tions.  The  housekeeper  who  summoned  me  told  me  that 
her  master  had  but  just  returned  from  abroad,  somewhere 
in  Asia,  she  said,  and  that  he  was  very  ill  with  his  heart — 
dying,  she  believed;  both  of  which  suppositions  proved  to 
be  accurate. 

"  I  found  the  patient  sitting  up  in  bed  (to  ease  his 
heart),  and  a  strange-looking  old  man  he  was.  He  had 
dark  eyes,  small  but  full  of  fire  and  intelligence,  a  magni 
ficent  and  snowy-white  beard  that  covered  a  chest  of  ex 
traordinary  breadth,  and  hair  also  white,  which  en 
croached  upon  his  forehead  and  face  so  much  that  it  met 
the  whiskers  upon  his  cheeks.  His  arms  were  remarkable 
for  their  length  and  strength,  though  one  of  them  seemed 


INTRODUCTION  15 

to  have  been  much  torn  by  some  animal.  He  told  me 
that  a  dog  had  done  this,  but  if  so  it  must  have  been  a  dog 
of  unusual  power.  He  was  a  very  ugly  man,  and  yet, 
forgive  the  bull,  beautiful.  I  cannot  describe  what  I 
mean  better  than  by  saying  that  his  face  was  not  like  the 
face  of  any  ordinary  mortal  whom  I  have  met  in  my  lim 
ited  experience.  Were  I  an  artist  who  wished  to  portray 
a  wise  and  benevolent  but  rather  grotesque  spirit,  I  should 
take  that  countenance  as  a  model. 

"  Mr.  Holly  was  somewhat  vexed  at  my  being  called  HT., 
which  had  been  done  without  his  knowledge.  Soon  we 
became  friendly  enough,  however,  and  he  expressed 
gratitude  for  the  relief  that  I  was  able  to  give  him, 
though  I  could  not  hope  to  do  more.  At  different  times 
he  talked  a  good  deal  of  the  various  countries  in  which 
he  had  travelled,  apparently  for  very  many  years,  upon 
some  strange  quest  that  he  never  clearly  defined  to  me. 
Twice  also  he  became  light-headed,  and  spoke,  for  the 
most  part  in  languages  that  I  identified  as  Greek  and 
Arabic;  occasionally  in  English  also,  when  he  appeared 
to  be  addressing  himself  to  a  being  who  was  the  object 
of  his  veneration,  I  might  almost  say  of  his  worship. 
What  he  said  then,  however,  I  prefer  not  to  repeat,  for  I 
heard  it  in  my  professional  capacity. 

"  One  day  he  pointed  to  a  rough  box  made  of  some, 
foreign  wood  (the  same  that  I  have  now  duly  despatched 
to  you  by  train),  and,  giving  me  your  name  and  address, 
said  that  without  fail  it  was  to  be  forwarded  to  you  after 
his  death.  Also  he  asked  me  to  do  up  a  manuscript* 
which,  like  the  box,  was  to  be  sent  to  you. 

"  He  saw  me  looking  at  the  last  sheets,  which  had  been 
burned  away,  and  said  (I  repeat  his  exact  words) — 

*  Yes,  yes,  that  can't  be  helped  now,  it  must  go  as  it  is.. 
You  see  I  made  up  my  mind  to  destroy  it  after  all,  and  it 
was  already  on  the  fire  when  the  command  came — the 
clear,  unmistakable  command — and  I  snatched  it  off 
again.' 


1 6  rAYESHA 

"  What  Mr.  Holly  meant  by  this  '  command '  I  do  not 
know,  for  he  would  speak  no  more  of  the  matter. 

"  I  pass  on  to  the  last  scene.  One  night  about  eleven 
o'clock,  knowing  ithat  my  patient's  end  was  near,  I  went 
up  to  see  him,  proposing  to  inject  some  strychnine  to  keep 
the  heart  going  a  little  longer.  Before  I  reached  the 
house  I  met  the  caretaker  coming  to  seek  me  in  a  great 
fright,  and  asked  her  if  her  master  was  dead.  She 
answered  '  No ;  but  he  was  gone — had  got  out  of  bed 
and,  just  as  he  was,  barefooted,  left  the  house,  and  was 
last  seen  by  her  grandson  among  the  very  Scotch  firs 
where  we  were  talking.  The  lad,  who  was  terrified  out 
of  his  wits,  for  he  thought  that  he  beheld  a  ghost,  had  told 
her  so. 

"  The  moonlight  was  very  brilliant  that  night,  especially 
as  fresh  snow  had  fallen,  which  reflected  its  rays.  I  was 
on  foot,  and  began  to  search  among  the  firs,  till  presently 
just  outside  of  them  I  found  the  track  of  naked  feet  in 
the  snow.  Of  course  I  followed,  calling  to  the  house 
keeper  to  go  and  wake  her  husband,  for  no  one  else  lives 
near  by.  The  spoor  proved  very  easy  to  trace  across  the 
clean  sheet  of  snow.  It  ran  up  the  slope  of  a  hill  behind 
the  house. 

"  Now,  on  the  crest  of  this  hill  is  an  ancient  monument 
of  upright  monoliths  set  there  by  some  primeval  people, 
known  locally  as  the  Devil's  Ring — a  sort  of  miniature 
Stonehenge  in  fact.  I  had  seen  it  several  times,  and 
happened  to  have  been  present  not  long  ago  at  a  meeting 
of  an  archaeological  society  when  its  origin  and  purpose 
were  discussed.  I  remember  that  one  learned  but  some 
what  eccentric  gentleman  read  a  short  paper  upon  a  rude, 
hooded  bust  and  head  that  are  cut  within  the  chamber  of 
a  tall,  flat-topped  cromlech,  or  dolmen,  which  stands  alone 
in  the  centre  of  the  ring. 

"  He  said  that  it  was  a  representation  of  the  Egyptian 
goddess,  Isis,  and  that  this  place  had  once  been  sacred 
to  some  form  of  her  worship,  or  at  any  rate  to  that  of  a 


INTRODUCTION  17 

Nature  goddess  with  like  attributes,  a  suggestion  which 
the  other  learned  gentlemen  treated  as  absurd.  They 
declared  that  Isis  had  never  travelled  into  Britain,  though 
for  my  part  I  do  not  see  why  the  Phoenicians,  or  even  the 
Romans,  who  adopted  her  cult,  more  or  less,  should  not 
have  brought  it  here.  But  I  know  nothing  of  such  mat 
ters  and  will  not  discuss  them. 

"  I  remembered  also  that  Mr.  Holly  was  acquainted 
with  this  place,  for  he  had  mentioned  it  to  me  on  the 
previous  day,  asking  if  the  stones  were*  still  uninjured  as 
they  used  to  be  when  he  was  young.  He  added  also,  and 
the  remark  struck  me,  that  yonder  was  where  he  would 
wish  to  die.  When  I  answered  that  I  feared  he  would 
never  take  so  long  a  walk  again,  I  noted  that  he  smiled  a 
little. 

"  Well,  this  conversation  gave  me  a  clue,  and  without 
troubling  more  about  the  footprints  I  went  on  as  fast  as 
I  could  to  the  Ring,  half  a  mile  or  so  away.  Presently  I 
reached  it,  and  there — yes,  there — standing  by  the  crom 
lech,  bareheaded,  and  clothed  in  his  night-things  only, 
stood  Mr.  Holly  in  the  snow,  the  strangest  figure,  I  think, 
that  ever  I  beheld. 

"  Indeed  never  shall  I  forget  that  wild  scene.  The 
circle  of  rough,  single  stones  pointing  upwards  to  the 
star-strewn  sky,  intensely  lonely  and  intensely  solemn :  the 
tall  trilithon  towering  above  them  in  the  centre,  its 
shadow,  thrown  by  the  bright  moon  behind  it,  lying  long 
and  black  upon  the  dazzling  sheet  of  snow,  and,  standing 
clear  of  this  shadow  so  that  I  could  distinguish  his  every 
motion,  and  even  the  rapt  look  upon  his  dying  face,  the 
white-draped  figure  of  Mr.  Holly.  He  appeared  to  be 
uttering  some  invocation — in  Arabic,  I  think — for  long 
before  I  reached  him  I  could  catch  the  tones  of  his  full, 
sonorous  voice,  and  see  his  waving,  outstretched  arms. 
In  his  right  hand  he  held  the  looped  sceptre  which,  by  his 
express  wish  I  send  to  you  with  the  drawings.  I  could 
see  the  flash  of  the  jewels  strung  upon  the  wires,  and  in 
the  great  stillness,  hear  the  tinkling  of  its  golden  bells. 


1 8  A  YES  HA 

"  Presently,  too,  I  seemed  to  become  aware  of  another 
presence,  and  now  you  will  understand  why  I  desire  and 
must  ask  that  my  identity  should  be  suppressed.  Natu 
rally  enough  I  do  not  wish  to  be  mixed  up  with  a  super 
stitious  tale  which  is,  on  the  face  of  it,  impossible  and  ab 
surd.  Yet  under  all  the  circumstances  I  think  it  right  to 
tell  you  that  I  saw,  or  thought  I  saw,  something  gather 
in  the  shadow  of  the  central  dolmen,  or  emerge  from  its 
rude  chamber — I  know  not  which  for  certain — something 
bright  and  glorious  which  gradually  took  the  form  of  a 
woman  upon  whose  forehead  burned  a  star-like  fire. 

"  At  any  rate  the  vision  or  reflection,  or  whatever  it 
was,  startled  me  so  much  that  I  came  to  a  halt  under  the 
lee  of  one  of  the  monoliths,  and  found  myself  unable  even 
to  call  to  the  distraught  man  whom  I  pursued. 

"  Whilst  I  stood  thus  it  became  clear  to  me  that  Mr. 
Holly  also  saw  something.  At  least  he  turned  towards 
the  Radiance  in  the  shadow,  uttered  one  cry ;  a  wild,  glad 
cry,  and  stepped  forward;  then  seemed  to  fall  through  it 
on  to  his  face. 

"  When  I  reached  the  spot  the  light  had  vanished,  and 
all  I  found  was  Mr.  Holly,  his  arms  still  outstretched,  and^ 
the  sceptre  gripped  tightly  in  his  hand,  lying  quite  dead  in 
the  shadow  of  the  trilithon." 

The  rest  of  the  doctor's  letter  need  not  be  quoted  as  it 
deals  only  with  certain  very  improbable  explanations  of 
the  origin  of  this  Figure  of  light,  the  details  of  the  re 
moval  of  Holly's  body,  and  of  how  he  managed  to  satisfy 
the  coroner  that  no  inquest  was  necessary. 

The  box  of  which  he  speaks  arrived  safely.  Of  the 
drawings  in  it  I  need  say  nothing,  and  of  the  sistrum  or 
sceptre  only  a  few  words.  It  was  fashioned  of  crystal 
to  the  well-known  shape  of  the  Crux-ansata,  or  the  em 
blem  of  life  of  the  Egyptians ;  the  rod,  the  cross  and  the 
loop  combined  in  one.  From  side  to  side  of  this  loop  ran 
golden  wires,  and  on  these  were  strung  gems  of  three 


INTRODUCTION  19 

colours,  glittering  diamonds,  sea-blue  sapphires,  and 
blood-red  rubies,  while  to  the  fourth  wire,  that  at  the  top, 
hung  four  little  golden  bells. 

When  I  took  hold  of  it  first  my  arm  shook  slightly 
with  excitement,  and  those  bells  began  to  sound ;  a  sweet, 
faint  music  like  to  that  of  chimes  heard  far  away  at  night 
in  the  silence  of  the  sea.  I  thought  too,  but  perhaps  this 
was  fancy,  that  a  thrill  passed  from  the  hallowed  and 
beautiful  thing  into  my  body. 

On  the  mystery  itself,  as  it  is  recorded  in  th«  manu 
script,  I  make  no  comment.  Of  it  and  its  inner  signi 
fications  every  reader  must  form  his  or  her  own  judg 
ment.  One  thing  alone  is  clear  to  me — on  the  hypothesis 
that  Mr.  Holly  tells  the  truth  as  to  what  he  and  Leo 
Vincey  saw  and  experienced,  which  I  at  least  believe — 
that  though  sundry  interpretations  of  this  mystery  were 
advanced  by  Ayesha  and  others,  none  of  them  are  quite 
satisfactory. 

Indeed,  like  Mr.  Holly,  I  incline  to  the  theory  that  SHE, 
if  I  may  still  call  her  by  that  name  although  it  is  seldom 
given  to  her  in  these  pages,  put  forward  some  of  them, 
such  as  the  vague  Isis-myth,  and  the  wondrous  picture- 
story  of  the  Mountain-fire,  as  mere  veils  to  hide  the  truth 
which  it  was  her  purpose  to  reveal  at  last  in  that  song  she 
never  sang. 

THE  EDITOR. 


AYESHA: 

The  Further  History 

of 
She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  DOUBLE  SIGN 

HARD  on  twenty  years  have  gone  by  since  that  night  of 
Leo's  vision — the  most  awful  years,  perhaps,  which  were 
ever  endured  by  men — twenty  years  of  search  and  hard 
ship  ending  in  soul-shaking  wonder  and  amazement. 

My  death  is  very  near  to  me,  and  of  this  I  am  glad,  for 
I  desire  to  pursue  the  quest  in  other  realms,  as  it  has 
been  promised  to  me  that  I  shall  do.  I  desire  to  learn  the 
beginning  and  the  end  of  the  spiritual  drama  of  which  it 
has  been  my  strange  lot  to  read  some  pages  upon  earth. 

I,  Ludwig  Horace  Holly,  have  been  very  ill ;  they  car 
ried  me,  more  dead  than  alive,  down  those  mountains 
whose  lowest  slopes  I  can  see  from  my  window,  for  I 
write  this  on  the  northern  frontiers  of  India.  Indeed  any 
othtf  man  had  long  since  perished,  but  Destiny  kept  my 
breath  in  me,  perhaps  that  a  record  might  remain.  L 
must  bide  here  a  month  or  two  till  I  am  strong  enough 
to  travel  homewards,  for  I  have  a  fancy  to  die  in  the 
place  where  I  was  born.  So  while  I  have  strength  I  will 


21 


22  r  AYESHA 

put  the  story  down,  or  at  least  those  parts  of  it  that  are 
most  essential,  for  much  can,  or  at  any  rate  must  be 
omitted.  I  shrink  from  attempting  too  long  a  book, 
though  my  notes  and  memory  would  furnish  me  with 
sufficient  material  for  volumes. 

I  will  begin  with  the  Vision. 

After  Leo  Vincey  and  I  came  back  from  Africa  in  1885, 
desiring  solitude,  which  indeed  we  needed  sorely  to  re 
cover  from  the  fearful  shock  we  had  experienced,  and 
to  give  us  time  and  opportunity  to  think,  we  went  to  an 
old  house  upon  the  shores  of  Cumberland  that  has  be 
longed  to  my  family  for  many  generations.  This  house, 
unless  somebody  has  taken  it  believing  me  to  be  dead,  is 
Still  my  property  and  thither  I  travel  to  die. 

Those  whose  eyes  read  the  words  I  write,  if  any  should 
ever  read  them,  may  ask — What  shock? 

Well,  I  am  Horace  Holly,  and  my  companion,  my  be 
loved  friend,  my  son  in  the  spirit  whom  I  reared  from 
infancy  was — nay,  is — Leo  Vincey. 

We  are  those  men  who,  following  an  ancient  clue,  trav 
elled  to  the  Caves  of  Kor  in  Central  Africa,  and  there  dis- . 
covered  her  whom  we  sought,  the  immortal  She-who- 
must-be-obeyed.  In  Leo  she  found  her  love,  that  re-born 
Kallikrates,  the  Grecian  priest  of  Isis  whom  some  two 
thousand  years  before  she  had  slain  in  her  jealous  rage, 
thus  executing  on  him  the  judgment  of  the  angry  god 
dess.  In  her  also  I  found  the  divinity  whom  I  was 
doomed  to  worship  from  afar,  not  with  the  flesh,  for  that 
is  all  lost  and  gone  from  me,  but,  what  is  sorer  still,  be 
cause  its  burden  is  undying,  with  the  will  and  soul  which 
animate  a  man  throughout  the  countless  aeons  of  his  being. 
The  flesh  dies,  or  at  least  it  changes,  and  its  passions  pass, 
but  that  other  passion  of  the  spirit — that  longing  for  one- 
jness — is  undying  as  itself. 

What  crime  have  I  committed  that  this  sore  punishment 
should  be  laid  upon  me  ?  Yet,  in  truth,  is  it  a  punishment  ? 


THE   DOUBLE   SIGN  23 

May  it  not  prove  to  be  but  that  black  and  terrible  Gate 
which  leads  to  the  joyous  palace  of  Rewards  ?  She  swore 
that  I  should  ever  be  her  friend  and  his  and  dwell  with 
them  eternally,  and  I  believe  her. 

For  how  many  winters  did  we  wander  among  the  icy 
hills  and  deserts!  Still,  at  length,  the  Messenger  came 
and  led  us  to  the  Mountain,  and  on  the  Mountain  we 
found  the  Shrine,  and  in  the  Shrine  the  Spirit.  May  not 
these  things  be  an  allegory  prepared  for  our  instruction  ? 
I  will  take  comfort.  I  will  hope  that  it  is  so.  Nay,  I  am 
sure  that  it  is  so. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  Kor  we  found  the  immor 
tal  woman.  There  before  the  flashing  rays  and  vapours 
of  the  Pillar  of  Life  she  declared  her  mystic  love,  and 
then  in  our  very  sight  was  swept  to  a  doom  so  horrible 
that  even  now,  after  all  which  has  been  and  gone,  I  shiver 
at  its  recollection.  Yet  what  were  Ayesha's  last  words? 
"Forget  me  not  .  .  .  have  pity  on  my  shame.  I  die 
not.  I  shall  come  again  and  shall  once  more  be  beautiful. 
I  swear  it — it  is  true." 

Well,  I  cannot  set  out  that  history  afresh.  Moreover  it 
is  written ;  the  man  whom  I  trusted  in  the  matter  did  not 
fail  me,  and  the  book  he  made  of  it  seems  to  be  known 
throughout  the  world,  for  I  have  found  it  here  in  English, 
yes,  and  read  it  first  translated  into  Hindostani.  To  it 
then  I  refer  the  curious. 

In  that  house  upon  the  desolate  sea-shore  of  Cumber 
land,  we  dwelt  a  year,  mourning  the  lost,  seeking  an  ave 
nue  by  which  it  might  be  found  again  and  discovering 
none.  Here  our  strength  came  back  to  us,  and  Leo's 
hair,  that  had  been  whitened  in  the  horror  of  the  Caves, 
grew  again  from  grey  to  golden.  His  beauty  returned 
to  him  also,  so  that  his  face  was  as  it  had  been,  only  puri 
fied  and  saddened. 

Well  I  remember  that  night — and  the  hour  of  illumina 
tion.  We  were  heart-broken,  we  were  in  despair.  We 


24  AYESHA 

sought  signs  and  could  find  none.  The  dead  remained 
dead  to  us  and  no  answer  came  to  all  our  crying. 

It  was  a  sullen  Augut  evening,  and  after  we  had  dined 
we  walked  upon  the  shore,  listening  to  the  slow  surge  of 
the  waves  and  watching  £he  lightning  flicker  from  the 
bosom  of  a  distant  cloud.  In  silence  we  walked,  till  at 
last  Leo  groaned — it  was  more  of  a  sob  than  a  groan — 
and  clasped  my  arm. 

"  I  can  bear  it  no  longer,  Horace/'  he  said — for  so  he 
called  me  now — "  I  am  in  torment.  The  desire  to  see 
Ayesha  once  more  saps  my  brain.  Without  hope  I  shall 
go  quite  mad.  And  I  am  strong,  I  may  live  another  fifty 
years." 

"  What  then  can  you  do?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  can  take  a  short  road  to  knowledge — or  to  peace," 
he  answered  solemnly.  "  I  can  die,  and  die  I  will — yes,  to 
night." 

I  turned  upon  him  angrily,  for  his  words  filled  me  with 
fear. 

"  Leo,  you  are  a  coward !  "  I  said.  "  Cannot  you  bear 
your  part  of  pain  as — others  do  ?  " 

"  You  mean  as  you  do,  Horace,"  he  answered  with  a 
dreary  laugh,  "  for  on  you  also  the  curse  lies — with  less 
cause.  Well,  you  are  stronger  than  I  am,  and  more 
tough;  perhaps  because  you  have  lived  longer.  No,  I 
cannot  bear  it.  I  will  die." 

"  It  is  a  crime,"  I  said,  "  the  greatest  insult  you  can 
offer  to  the  Power  that  made  you,  to  cast  back  its  gift 
of  life  as  a  thing  outworn,  contemptible  and  despised.  A 
crime,  I  say.  which  will  bring  with  it  worse  punishment 
than  any  you  can  dream  J  perhaps  even  the  punishment  of 
everlasting  separation." 

"  Does  a  man  stretched  in  some  torture-den  commit  a 
crime  if  he  snatches  a  knife  and  kills  himself,  Horace? 
Perhaps;  but  surely  that  sin  should  find  forgiveness — if 
torn  flesh  and  quivering  nerves  may  plead  for  mercy.  I 
am  such  a  man,  and  I  will  use  that  knife  and  take  my 


THE   DOUBLE   SIGN  25 

chance.  She  is  dead,  and  in  death  at  least  I  shall  be  nearer 
her." 

"  Why  so,  Leo  ?  For  aught  you  know  Ayesha  may  be 
living." 

"  No ;  for  then  she  would  have  given  me  some  sign. 
My  mind  is  made  up,  so  talk  no  more,  or,  if  talk  we  must, 
let  it  be  of  other  things." 

Then  I  pleaded  with  him,  though  with  little  hope,  for 
I  saw  that  what  I  had  feared  for  long  was  come  to  pass, 
Leo  was  mad :  shock  and  sorrow  had  destroyed  his  reason. 
Were  it  not  so,  he,  in  his  own  way  a  very  religious  man, 
one  who  held,  as  I  knew,  strict  opinions  on  such  matters, 
would  never  have  purposed  to  commit  the  wickedness  of 
suicide. 

"  Leo,"  I  said,  "  are  you  so  heartless  that  you  would 
leave  me  here  alone?  Do  you  pay  me  thus  for  all  my 
love  and  care,  and  wish  to  drive  me  to  my  death  ?  Do  so 
if  you  will,  and  my  blood  be  on  your  head." 

**  Your  blood!    Why  your  blood,  Horace?  " 

"  Because  that  road  is  broad  and  two  can  travel  it.  We 
have  lived  long  years  together  and  together  endured 
much ;  I  am  sure  that  we  shall  not  be  long  parted." 

Then  the  tables  were  turned  and  he  grew  afraid  for  me. 
But  I  only  answered,  "  If  you  die  I  tell  you  that  I  shall 
die  also.  It  will  certainly  kill  me." 

So  Leo  gave  way.  "  Well,"  he  exclaimed  suddenly,  "  I 
promise  you  it  shall  not  be  to-night.  Let  us  give  Life 
another  chance." 

"  Good,"  I  answered ;  but  I  went  to  my  bed  full  of 
fear.  For  I  was  certain  that  this  desire  of  death,  having 
once  taken  hold  of  him,  would  grow  and  grow,  until  at 
length  it  became  too  strong,  and  then — then  I  should 
wither  and  die  who  could  not  live  on  alone.  In  my  despair 
I  threw  out  my  soul  towards  that  of  her  who  was  de 
parted. 

"  Ayesha !  "  I  cried,  "  if  you  have  any  power,  if  in  any 
way  it  is  permitted,  show  that  you  still  live,  and  save 


26  AYES  HA 

your  lover  from  this  sin  and  me  from  a  broken  heart. 
Have  pity  on  his  sorrow  and  breathe  hope  into  his  spirit, 
for  without  hope  Leo  cannot  live,  and  without  him  I  shall 
not  live." 

Then,  worn  out,  I  slept. 

I  was  aroused  by  the  voice  of  Leo  speaking  to  me  in 
low,  excited  tones  through  the  darkness. 

"  Horace,"  he  said,  "  Horace,  my  friend,  my  father, 
listen ! " 

In  an  instant  I  was  wide  awake,  every  nerve  and  fibre 
of  me,  for  the  tones  of  his  voice  told  me  that  something 
had  happened  which  bore  upon  our  destinies. 

"  Let  me  light  a  candle  first,"  I  said. 

"  Never  mind  the  candle,  Horace ;  I  would  rather  speak 
in  the  dark.  I  went  to  sleep,  and  I  dreamed  the  most  vivid 
dream  that  ever  came  to  me.  I  seemed  to  stand  under 
the  vault  of  heaven,  it  was  black,  black,  not  a  star  shone 
in  it,  and  a  great  loneliness  possessed  me.  Then  suddenly 
high  up  in  the  vault,  miles  and  miles  away,  I  saw  a  little 
light  and  thought  that  a  planet  had  appeared  to  keep  me 
company.  The  light  began  to  descend  slowly,  like  a 
floating  flake  of  fire.  Down  it  sank,  and  down  and  down, 
till  it  was  but  just  above  me,  and  I  perceived  that  it  was 
shaped  like  a  tongue  or  fan  of  flame.  At  the  height  of 
my  head  from  the  ground  it  stopped  and  stood  steady, 
and  by  its  ghostly  radiance  I  saw  that  beneath  was  the 
shape  of  a  woman  and  that  the  flame  burned  upon  her 
forehead.  The  radiance  gathered  strength  and  now  I  saw 
the  woman. 

"  Horace,  it  was  Ayesha  herself,  her  eyes,  her  lovely 
face,  her  cloudy  hair,  and  she  looked  at  me  sadly,  re 
proachfully,  I  thought,  as  one  might  who  says,  '  Why  did 
you  doubt  ? ' 

"  I  tried  to  speak  to  her  but  my  lips  were  dumb.  I 
tried  to  advance  and  to  embrace  her,  my  arms  would  not 
move.  There  was  a  barrier  between  us.  She  lifted  her 
hand  and  beckoned  as  though  bidding  me  to  follow  her. 


THE   DOUBLE   SIGN  27 

"  Then  she  glided  away,  and,  Horace,  my  spirit  seemed 
to  loose  itself  from  the  body  and  to  be  given  the  power  to 
follow.  We  passed  swiftly  eastward,  over  lands  and  seas, 
and — I  knew  the  road.  At  one  point  she  paused  and  I 
looked  downwards.  Beneath,  shining  in  the  moonlight, 
appeared  the  ruined  palaces  of  Kor,  and  there  not  far 
away  was  the  gulf  we  trod  together. 

"  Onward  above  the  marshes,  and  now  we  stood  upon 
the  Ethiopian's  Head,  and  gathered  round,  watching  us 
earnestly,  were  the  faces  of  the  Arabs,  our  companions 
who  drowned  in  the  sea  beneath.  Job  was  among  them 
also,  and  he  smiled  at  me  sadly  and  shook  his  head,  as 
though  he  wished  to  accompany  us  and  could  not. 

"  Across  the  sea  again,  across  the  sandy  deserts,  across 
more  sea,  and  the  shores  of  India  lay  beneath  us.  Then 
northward,  ever  northward,  above  the  plains,  till  we 
reached  a  place  of  mountains  capped  with  eternal  snow. 
We  passed  them  and  stayed  for  an  instant  above  a  build 
ing  set  upon  the  brow  of  a  plateau.  It  was  a  monastery, 
for  old  monks  droned  prayers  upon  its  terrace.  I  shall 
know  it  again,  for  it  is  built  in  the  shape  of  a  half-moon 
and  in  front  of  it  sits  the  gigantic,  ruined  statue  of  a  god 
who  gazes  everlastingly  across  the  desert.  I  knew,  how 
I  cannot  say,  that  now  we  were  far  past  the  furthest  bor 
ders  of  Thibet  and  that  in  front  of  us  lay  untrodden 
lands.  More  mountains  stretched  beyond  that  desert,  a 
sea  of  snowy  peaks,  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  them. 

"  Near  to  the  monastery,  jutting  out  into  the  plain  like 
some  rocky  headland,  rose  a  solitary  hill,  higher  than  all 
behind.  We  stood  upon  its  snowy  crest  and  waited,  till 
presently,  above  the  mountains  and  the  desert  at  our  feet 
shot  a  sudden  beam  of  light,  that  beat  upon  us  like  some 
signal  flashed  across  the  sea.  On  we  went,  floating  down 
the  beam — on  over  the  desert  and  the  mountains,  across 
a  great  flat  land  beyond,  in  which  were  many  villages  and 
a  city  on  a  mound,  till  we  lit  upon  a  towering  peak. 
Then  I  saw  that  this  peak  was  loop-shaped  like  the  sym- 


28  AYES  HA 

bol  of  Life  of  the  Egyptians — the  crux-ansata — and  sup 
ported  by  a  lava  stem  hundreds  of  feet  in  height.  Also  I 
saw  that  the  fire  which  shone  through  it  rose  from  the 
crater  of  a  volcano  beyond.  Upon  the  very  crest  of  this 
loop  we  rested  a  while,  till  the  Shadow  of  Ayesha  pointed 
downward  with  its  hand,  smiled  and  vanished.  Then  I 
awoke. 

"  Horace,  I  tell  you  that  the  sign  has  come  to  us." 

His  voice  died  away  in  the  darkness,  but  I  sat  still, 
brooding  over  what  I  had  heard.  Leo  groped  his  way  to 
me  and,  seizing  my  arm,  shook  it. 

"Are  you  asleep?"  he  asked  angrily.  "Speak,  man, 
speak!" 

"  No,"  I  answered,  "  never  was  I  more  awake.  Give 
me  time." 

Then  I  rose,  and  going  to  the  open  window,  drew  up 
the  blind  and  stood  there  staring  at  the  sky,  which  grew 
pearl-hued  with  the  first  faint  tinge  of  dawn.  Leo  came 
also  and  leant  upon  the  window-sill,  and  I  could  feel  that 
his  body  was  trembling  as  though  with  cold.  Clearly  he 
was  much  moved. 

"  You  talk  of  a  sign,"  I  said  to  him,  "  but  in  your  sign 
I  see  nothing  but  a  wild  dream." 

"  It  was  no  dream,"  he  broke  in  fiercely ;  "  it  was  a 
vision." 

"  A  vision  then  if  you  will,  but  there  are  visions  true 
and  false,  and  how  can  we  know  that  this  is  true  ?  Listen, 
Leo.  What  is  there  in  all  that  wonderful  tale  which  could 
not  have  been  fashioned  in  your  own  brain,  distraught  as 
it  is  almost  to  madness  with  your  sorrow  and  your  long 
ings  ?  You  dreamed  that  you  were  alone  in  the  vast  uni 
verse.  Well,  is  not  every  living  creature  thus  alone  ?  You 
dreamed  that  the  shadowy  shape  of  Ayesha  came  to  you. 
Has  it  ever  left  your  side?  You  dreamed  that  she  led 
you  over  sea  and  land,  past  places  haunted  by  your  mem 
ory,  above  the  mysterious  mountains  of  the  Unknown  to 


THE   DOUBLE   SIGN  29 

an  undiscovered  peak.  Does  she  not  thus  lead  you 
through  life  to  that  peak  which  lies  beyond  the  Gates  of 
Death  ?  You  dreamed " 

"  Oh !  no  more  of  it,"  he  exclaimed.  "  What  I  saw,  I 
saw,  and  that  I  shall  follow.  Think  as  you  will,  Horace, 
and  do  what  you  will.  To-morrow  I  start  for  India,  with 
you  if  you  choose  to  come ;  if  not,  without  you." 

"  You  speak  roughly,  Leo,"  I  said.  "  You  forget  that 
/  have  had  no  sign,  and  that  the  nightmare  of  a  man  so 
near  to  insanity  that  but  a  few  hours  ago  he  was  deter 
mined  upon  suicide,  will  be  a  poor  staff  to  lean  on  when 
we  are  perishing  in  the  snows  of  Central  Asia.  A  mixed 
vision,  this  of  yours,  Leo,  with  its  mountain  peak  shaped 
like  a  crux-ansata  and  the  rest.  Do  you  suggest  that 
Ayesha  is  re-incarnated  in  Central  Asia — as  a  female 
Grand  Lama  or  something  of  that  sort?  " 

"  I  never  thought  of  it,  but  why  not  ? "  asked  Leo 
quietly.  "  Do  you  remember  a  certain  scene  in  the  Caves 
of  Kor  yonder,  when  the  living  looked  upon  the  dead,  and 
dead  and  living  were  the  same  ?  And  do  you  remember 
what  Ayesha  swore,  that  she  would  come  again — yes,  to 
this  world ;  and  how  could  that  be  except  by  re-birth,  or, 
what  is  the  same  thing,  by  the  transmigration  of  the 
spirit?" 

I  did  not  answer  this  argument.  I  was  struggling  with 
myself. 

"  No  sign  has  come  to  me,"  I  said,  "  and  yet  I  have  had 
a  part  in  the  play,  humble  enough,  I  admit,  and  I  believe 
that  I  have  still  a  part." 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  no  sign  has  come  to  you.  I  wish  that 
it  had.  Oh !  how  I  wish  you  could  be  convinced  as  I  am, 
Horace !  " 

Then  we  were  silent  for  a  long  while,  silent,  with  our 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  sky. 

It  was  a  stormy  dawn.  Clouds  in  fantastic  masses  hung 
upon  the  ocean.  One  of  them  was  like  a  great  mountain, 


3o  AYESHA 

and  we  watched  it  idly.  It  changed  its  shape,  the  crest 
of  it  grew  hollow  like  a  crater.  From  this  crater  sprang 
a  projecting  cloud,  a  rough  pillar  with  a  knob  or  lump 
resting  on  its  top.  Suddenly  the  rays  of  the  risen  sun 
struck  upon  this  mountain  and  the  column  and  they 
turned  white  like  snow.  Then  as  though  melted  by  those 
iiery  arrows,  the  centre  of  the  excrescence  above  the  pillar 
thinned  out  and  vanished,  leaving  an  enormous  loop  of 
inky  cloud. 

"  Look,"  said  Leo  in  a  low,  frightened  voice,  "  that  is 
the  shape  of  the  mountain  which  I  saw  in  my  vision. 
There  upon  it  is  the  black  loop,  and  there  through  it 
shines  the  fire.  It  would  seem  that  the  sign  is  for  both  of 
us,  Horace.'' 

I  looked  and  looked  again  till  presently  the  vast  loop 
vanished  into  the  blue  of  heaven.  Then  I  turned  and 
said — 

"  I  will  come  with  you  to  Central  Asia,  Leo." 


CHAPTER   II 

THE   LAMASERY 

SIXTEEN  years  had  passed  since  that  night  vigil  in  the 
old  Cumberland  house,  and,  behold !  we  two,  Leo  and  I, 
were  still  travelling,  still  searching  for  that  mountain 
peak  shaped  like  the  Symbol  of  Life  which  never,  never 
could  be  found. 

Our  adventures  would  fill  volumes,  but  of  what  use  is  it 
to  record  them.  Many  of  a  similar  nature  are  already 
written  of  in  books ;  those  that  we  endured  were  more 
prolonged,  that  is  all.  Five  years  we  spent  in  Thibet, 
for  the  most  part  as  guests  of  various  monasteries,  where 
we  studied  the  law  and  traditions  of  the  Lamas.  Here  we 
were  once  sentenced  to  death  in  punishment  for  having 
visited  a  forbidden  city,  but  escaped  through  the  kindness 
of  a  Chinese  official. 

Leaving  Thibet,  we  wandered  east  and  west  and  north, 
thousands  and  thousands  of  miles,  sojourning  amongst 
many  tribes  in  Chinese  territory  and  elsewhere,  learning 
many  tongues,  enduring  much  hardship.  Thus  we 
would  hear  a  legend  of  a  place,  say  nine  hundred  miles 
away,  and  spend  two  years  in  reaching  it,  to  find  when  we 
came  there,  nothing. 

And  so  the  time  went  on.  Yet  never  once  did  we  think 
of  giving  up  the  quest  and  returning,  since,  before  we 
started,  we  had  sworn  an  oath  that  we  would  achieve  or 
die.  Indeed  we  ought  to  have  died  a  score  of  times,  yet 
always  were  preserved,  most  mysteriously  preserved. 

Now  we  were  in  country  where,  so  far  as  I  could  learn, 
no  European  had  ever  set  a  foot.  In  a  part  of  the  vast  land 

3* 


32  A  YES  HA 

called  Turkestan  there  is  a  great  lake  named  Balhkash, 
of  which  we  visited  the  shores.  Two  hundred  miles  or  so 
to  the  westward  is  a  range  of  mighty  mountains  marked 
on  the  maps  as  Arkarty-Tau,  on  which  we  spent  a  year, 
and  five  hundred  or  so  to  the  eastward  are  other  moun 
tains  called  Cherga,  whither  we  journeyed  at  last,  having 
explored  the  triple  ranges  of  the  Tau. 

Here  it  was  that  at  last  our  true  adventures  began.  On 
one  of  the  spurs  of  these  awful  Cherga  mountains — it  is 
unmarked  on  any  map — we  well-nigh  perished  of  starva 
tion.  The  winter  was  coming  on  and  we  could  find  no 
game.  The  last  traveller  we  had  met,  hundreds  of  miles 
south,  told  us  that  on  that  range  was  a  monastery  in 
habited  by  Lamas  of  surpassing  holiness.  He  said  that 
they  dwelt  in  this  wild  land,  over  which  no  power  claimed 
dominion  and  where  no  tribes  lived,  to  acquire  "  merit," 
with  no  other  company  than  that  of  their  own  pious  con 
templations.  We  did  not  believe  in  its  existence,  still  we 
were  searching  for  that  monastery,  driven  onward  by  the 
blind  fatalism  which  was  our  only  guide  through  all  these 
endless  wanderings.  As  we  were  starving  and  could 
find  no  "  argals,"  that  is  fuel  with  which  to  make  a  fire, 
we  walked  all  night  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  driving  be 
tween  us  a  single  yak — for  now  we  had  no  attendant,  the 
last  having  died  a  year  before. 

He  was  a  noble  beast,  that  yak,  and  had  the  best  con 
stitution  of  any  animal  I  ever  knew,  though  now,  like  his 
masters,  he  was  near  his  end.  Not  that  he  was  over-laden, 
for  a  few  rifle  cartridges,  about  a  hundred  and  fifty,  the 
remnant  of  a  store  which  we  had  fortunately  been  able  to 
buy  from  a  caravan  two  years  before,  some  money  in  gold 
and  silver,  a  little  tea  and  a  bundle  of  skin  rugs  and  sheep 
skin  garments  were  his  burden.  On,  on  we  trudged  across 
a  plateau  of  snow,  having  the  great  mountains  on  our 
right,  till  at  length  the  yak  gave  a  sigh  and  stopped.  So 
we  stopped  also,  because  we  must,  and  wrapping  ourselves 
in  the  skin  rugs,  sat  down  in  the  snow  to  wait  for  day 
light. 


THE   LAMASERY.  33 

"  We  shall  have  to  kill  him  and  eat  his  flesh  raw,"  I 
said,  patting  the  poor  yak  that  lay  patiently  at  our  side. 

"  Perhaps  we  may  find  game  in  the  morning,"  answered 
Leo,  still  hopeful. 

*'  And  perhaps  we  may  not,  in  which  case  we  must  die." 

"  Very  good,"  he  replied,  "  then  let  us  die.  It  is  the 
last  resource  of  failure.  We  shall  have  done  our  best." 

"  Certainly,  Leo,  we  shall  have  done  our  best,  if  sixteen 
years  of  tramping  over  mountains  and  through  eternal 
snows  in  pursuit  of  a  dream  of  the  night  can  be  called 
best." 

"  You  know  what  I  believe,"  he  answered  stubbornly, 
and  there  was  silence  between  us,  for  here  arguments  did 
not  avail.  Also  even  then  I  could  not  think  that  all  our 
toils  and  sufferings  would  be  in  vain. 

The  dawn  came,  and  by  its  light  we  looked  at  one 
another  anxiously,  each  of  us  desiring  to  see  what  strength 
was  left,  to  his  companion.  Wild  creatures  we  should 
have  seemed  to  the  eyes  of  any  civilized  person.  Leo  was 
now  over  forty  years  of  age,  and  certainly  his  maturity 
had  fulfilled  the  promise  of  his  youth,  for  a  more  magni 
ficent  man  I  never  knew.  Very  tall,  although  he  seemed 
spare  to  the  eye,  his  girth  matched  his  height,  and  those 
many  years  of  desert  life  had  turned  his  muscles  to  steel. 
His  hair  had  grown  long,  like  my  own,  for  it  was  a  protec 
tion  from  sun  and  cold,  and  hung  upon  his  neck,  a  curling, 
golden  mane,  as  his  great  beard  hung  upon  his  breast, 
spreading  outwards  almost  to  the  massive  shoulders.  The 
face,  too — what  could  be  seen  of  it — was  beautiful  though 
burnt  brown  with  weather;  refined  and  full  of  thought, 
sombre  almost,  and  in  it,  clear  as  crystal,  steady  as  stars, 
shone  his  large  grey  eyes. 

And  I — I  was  what  I  have  always  been — ugly  and  hir 
sute,  iron-grey  now  also,  but  in  spite  of  my  sixty  odd 
years,  still  wonderfully  strong,  for  my  strength  seemed 
to  increase  with  time,  and  my  health  was  perfect  In 
fact,  during  all  this  period  of  rough  travels,  although 


34  AYESHA 

now  and  again  we  had  met  with  accidents  which  laid  us 
up  for  awhile,  neither  of  us  had  known  a  day  of  sick 
ness.  Hardship  seemed  to  have  turned  our  constitutions 
to  iron  and  made  them  impervious  to  every  human  ail 
ment.  Or  was  this  because  we  alone  amongst  living  men 
had  once  inhaled  the  breath  of  the  Essence  of  Life  ? 

Our  fears  relieved — for  notwithstanding  our  foodless 
night,  as  yet  neither  of  us  showed  any  signs  of  exhaustion 
— we  turned  to  contemplate  the  landscape.  At  our  feet 
beyond  a  little  belt  of  fertile  soil,  began  a  great  desert  of 
the  sort  with  which  we  were  familiar — sandy,  salt- 
encrusted,  treeless,  waterless,  and  here  and  there  streaked 
with  the  first  snows  of  winter.  Beyond  it,  eighty  or  a 
hundred  miles  away — in  that  lucent  atmosphere  it  was 
impossible  to  say  how  far  exactly — rose  more  mountains, 
a  veritable  sea  of  them,  of  which  the  white  peaks  soared 
upwards  by  scores. 

As  the  golden  rays  of  the  rising  sun  touched  their 
snows  to  splendour,  I  saw  Leo's  eyes  become  troubled. 
Swiftly  he  turned  and  looked  along  the  edge  of  the 
desert. 

"  See  there !  "  he  said,  pointing  to  something  dim  and  f 
enormous.  Presently  the  light  reached  it  also.  It  was 
a  mighty  mountain  not  more  than  ten  miles  away,  that 
stood  out  by  itself  among  the  sands.  Then  he  turned  once 
more,  and  with  his  back  to  the  desert  stared  at  the  slope 
of  the  hills,  along  the  base  of  which  we  had  been  travel 
ling.  As  yet  they  were  in  gloom,  for  the  sun  was  behind 
them,  but  presently  light  began  to  flow  over  their  crests 
like  a  flood.  Down  it  crept,  lower,  and  yet  lower,  till  it 
reached  a  little  plateau  not  three  hundred  yards  above  us. 
There,  on  the  edge  of  the  plateau,  looking  out  solemnly 
across  the  waste,  sat  a  great  ruined  idol,  a  colossal 
Buddha,  while  to  the  rear  of  the  idol,  built  of  yellow  stone, 
appeared  the  low  crescent-shaped  mass  of  a  monastery. 

""At  last!"  cried  Leo,  "oh,  Heaven!  at  last!"  and, 
flinging  himself  down,  he  buried  his  face  in  the  snow  as 


THE   LAMASERY.  35 

though  to  hide  it  there,  lest  I  should  read  something  writ 
ten  on  it  which  he  did  not  desire  that  even  I  should  see. 

I  let  him  lie  a  space,  understanding  what  was  passing 
in  his  heart,  and  indeed  in  mine  also.  Then  going  to  the 
yak  that,  poor  brute,  had  no  share  in  these  joyous  emotions 
but  only  lowed  and  looked  round  with  hungry  eyes,  I  piled 
the  sheepskin  rugs  on  to  its  back.  This  done,  I  laid  my 
hand  on  Leo's  shoulder,  saying,  in  the  most  matter-of-fact 
voice  I  could  command — 

"  Come.  If  that  place  is  not  deserted,  we  may  find 
food  and  shelter  there,  and  it  is  beginning  to  storm 
again." 

He  rose  without  a  word,  brushed  the  snow  from  his 
beard  and  garments  and  came  to  help  me  to  lift  the  yak 
to  its  feet,  for  the  worn-out  beast  was  too  stiff  and  weak 
to  rise  of  itself.  Glancing  at  him  covertly,  I  saw  on 
Leo's  face  a  very  strange  and  happy  look-;  a  great  peace 
appeared  to  possess  Kim. 

We  plunged  upwards  through  the  snow  slope,  dragging 
the  yak  with  us,  to  the  terrace  whereon  the  monastery 
was  built.  Nobody  seemed  to  be  about  there,  nor  could 
I  discern  any  footprints.  Was  the  place  but  a  ruin  ?  We 
had  found  many  such ;  indeed  this  ancient  land  is  full  of 
buildings  that  had  once  served  as  the  homes  of  men, 
learned  and  pious  enough  after  their  own  fashion,  who 
lived  and  died  hundreds,  or  even  thousands,  of  years  ago, 
long  before  our  Western  civilization  came  into  being. 

My  heart,  also  my  stomach',  which  was  starving,  sank 
at  the  thought,  but  while  I  gazed  doubtfully,  a  little  coil 
of  blue  smoke  sprang  'from  a  chimney,  and  never,  I  think, 
did  I  see  a  more  joyful  sight.  In  the  centre  of  the  edifice 
was  a  large  building,  evidently  the  temple,  but  nearer  to 
us  I  saw  a  small  door,  almost  above  which  the  smoke 
appeared.  To  this  door  I  went  and  knocked,  calling 
aloud — 

"  Open !  open,  holy  Lamas.  Strangers  seek  your 
charity."  After  awhile  there  was  a  sound  of  shuffling  feet 


36  AYESHA 

and  the  door  creaked  upon  its  hinges,  revealing  an  old,  old 
man,  clad  in  tattered,  yellow  garments. 

"  Who  is  it  ?  Who  is  it  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  blinking  at  me 
through  a  pair  of  horn  spectacles.  "  Who  comes  to  dis 
turb  our  solitude,  the  solitude  of  the  holy  Lamas  of  the 
Mountains  ?  " 

"  Travellers,  Sacred  One,  who  have  had  enough  of 
solitude,"  I  answered  in  his  own  dialect,  with  which  I 
was  well  acquainted.  "  Travellers  who  are  starving  and 
who  ask  your  charity,  which,"  I  added,  "  by  the  Rule  you 
cannot  refuse." 

He  stared  at  us  through  his  horn  spectacles,  and,  able 
to  make  nothing  of  our  faces,  let  his  glance  fall  to  our 
garments  which  were  as  ragged  as  his  own,  and  of  much 
the  same  pattern.  Indeed,  they  were  those  of  Thibetan 
monks,  including  a  kind  of  quilted  petticoat  and  an  outer 
vestment  not  unlike  an  Eastern  burnous.  We  had  adopted 
them  because  we  had  no  others.  Also  they  protected  us 
from  the  rigours  of  the  climate  and  from  remark,  had 
there  been  any  to  remark  upon  them. 

"  Are  you  Lamas  ?  "  he  asked  doubtfully,  "  and  if  so, 
of  what  monastery  ?  " 

"  Lamas  sure  enough,"  I  answered,  "  who  belong  to  a 
monastery  called  the  World,  where,  alas !  one  grows  hun- 

gry." 

The  reply  seemed  to  please  him,  for  he  chuckled  a  little, 
then  shook  his  head,  saying — 

"  It  is  against  our  custom'  to  admit  strangers  unless 
they  be  of  our  own  faith,  which  I  am  sure  you  are  not." 

"  And  much  more  is  it  against  your  Rule,  holy  Khubil- 
ghan,"  for  so  these  abbots  are  entitled,  "  to  suffer 
strangers  to  starve  " ;  and  I  quoted  a  well-known  passage 
from  the  sayings  of  Buddha  which  fitted  the  point  pre 
cisely. 

"  I  perceive  that  you  are  instructed  in  the  Books,"  he 
exclaimed  with  wonder  on  his  yellow,  wrinkled  face,  "  and 
to  such  we  cannot  refuse  shelter.  Come  in,  brethren  of  the 


THE   LAMASERY  37 

monastery  called  the  World.  But  stay,  there  is  the  yak, 
who  also  has  claims  upon  our  charity,"  and,  turning,  he 
struck  upon  a  gong  or  bell  which  hung  within  the  door. 

At  the  sound  another  man  appeared,  more  wrinkled  and 
to  all  appearance  older  than  the  first,  who  stared  at  us 
open-mouthed. 

"  Brother,"  said  the  abbot,  "  shut  that  great  mouth  of 
yours  lest  an  evil  spirit  should  fly  down  it ;  take  this  poor 
yak  and  give  it  fodder  with  the  other  cattle." 

So  we  unstrapped  our  belongings  from  the  back  of  the 
beast,  and  the  old  fellow  whose  grandiloquent  title  was 
"  Master  of  the  Herds,"  led  it  away. 

When  it  had  gone,  not  too  willingly — for  our  faithful 
friend  disliked  parting  from  us  and  distrusted  this  new 
guide — the  abbot,  who  was  named  Kou-en,  led  us  into  the 
living  room  or  rather  the  kitchen  of  the  monastery,  for  it 
served  both  purposes.  Here  we  found  the  rest  of  the 
monks,  about  twelve  in  all,  gathered  round  the  fire  of 
which  we  had  seen  the  smoke,  and  engaged,  one  of  them 
in  preparing  the  morning  meal,  and  the  rest  in  warming 
themselves. 

They  were  all  old  men;  the  youngest  could  not  have 
been  less  than  sixty-five.  To  these  we  were  solemnly  in 
troduced  as  "  Brethren  of  the  Monastery  called  the  World, 
where  folk  growr  hungry,"  for  the  abbot  Kou-en  could  not 
make  up  his  mind  to  part  from  this  little  joke. 

They  stared  at  us,  they  rubbed  their  thin  hands,  they 
bowed  and  wished  us  well  and  evidently  were  delighted 
at  our  arrival.  This  was  not  strange,  however,  seeing 
that  ours  were  the  first  new  faces  which  they  had  seen  for 
four  long  years. 

Nor  did  they  stop  at  words,  for  while  they  made  water 
hot  for  us  to  wash  in,  two  of  them  went  to  prepare  a  room 
and  others  drew  off  our  rough  hide  boots  and  thick  outer 
garments  and  brought  us  slippers  for  our  feet.  Then 
they  led  us  to  the  guest  chamber,  which  they  informed  us 
was  a  "  propitious  place,"  for  once  it  had  been  slept  in  by 


3  8  A  YES  HA 

a  noted  saint.  Here  a  fire  was  lit,  and,  wonder  of  won 
ders  !  clean  garments,  including  linen,  all  of  them  ancient 
and  faded,  but  of  good  quality,  were  brought  for  us  to 
put  on. 

So  we  washed — yes,  actually  washed  all  over — and  hav 
ing  arrayed  ourselves  in  the  robes,  which  were  somewhat 
small  for  Leo,  struck  the  bell  that  hung  in  the  room  and 
were  conducted  by  a  monk  who  answered  it,  back  to  the 
kitchen,  where  the  meal  was  now  served.  It  consisted 
of  a  kind  of  porridge,  to  which  was  added  new  milk 
brought  in  by  the  "  Master  of  the  Herds,"  dried  fish  from 
a  lake,  and  buttered  tea,  the  last  two  luxuries  produced  in 
our  special  honour.  Never  had  food  tasted  more  delicious 
to  us,  and,  I  may  add,  never  did  we  eat  more.  Indeed,  at 
last  I  was  obliged  to  request  Leo  to  stop,  for  I  saw  the 
monks  staring  at  him  and  heard  the  old  abbot  chuckling  to 
himself . 

"  Oho !  The  Monastery  of  the  World,  where  folk  grow 
hungry"  to  which  another  monk,  who  was  called  the 
"  Master  of  the  Provisions,"  replied  uneasily,  that  if  we 
went  on  like  this,  their  store  of  food  would  scarcely  last 
the  winter.  So  we  finished  at  length,  feeling,  as  some  book 
of  maxims  which  I  can  remember  in  my  youth  said  all 
polite  people  should  do — that  we  could  eat  more,  and  much 
impressed  our  hosts  by  chanting  a  long  Buddhist  grace. 

"  Their  feet  are  in  the  Path !  Their  feet  are  in  the 
Path !  "  they  said,  astonished. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Leo,  "  they  have  been  in  it  for  sixteen 
years  of  our  present  incarnation.  But  we  are  only  be 
ginners,  for  you,  holy  Ones,  know  how  star-high,  how 
ocean-wide  and  how  desert-long  is  that  path.  Indeed  it 
is  to  be  instructed  as  to  the  right  way  of  walking  therein 
that  we  have  been  miraculously  directed  by  a  dream  to 
seek  you  out,  as  the  most  pious,  the  most  saintly  and  the 
most  learned  of  all  the  Lamas  in  these  parts." 

"  Yes,  certainly  we  are  that,"  answered  the  abbot  Kou- 
•en,  "  seeing  that  there  is  no  other  monastery  within  five 


THE   LAMASERY.  39 

months'  journey,"  and  again  he  chuckled,  "  though,  alas !  " 
he  added  with  a  pathetic  little  sigh,  "  our  numbers  grow 
few." 

After  this  we  asked  leave  to  retire  to  our  chamber  in 
order  to  rest,  and  there,  upon  very  good  imitations  of 
beds,  we  slept  solidly  for  four  and  twenty  hours,  rising  at 
last  perfectly  refreshed  and  well. 

Such  was  our  introduction  to  the  Monastery  of  the 
Mountains — for  it  had  no  other  name — where  we  were 
destined  to  spend  the  next  six  months  of  our  lives. 
Within  a  few  days — for  they  were  not  long  in  giving  us 
their  complete  confidence — those  good-hearted  and  simple 
old  monks  told  us  all  their  history. 

It  seemed  that  of  old  time  there  was  a  Lamasery  here, 
in  which  dwelt  several  hundred  brethren.  This,  indeed, 
was  obviously  true,  for  the  place  was  enormous,  although 
for  the  most  part  ruined,  and,  as  the  weather-worn  statue 
of  Buddha  showed,  very  ancient.  The  story  ran,  ac 
cording  to  the  old  abbot,  that  two  centuries  or  so  before, 
the  monks  had  been  killed  out  by  some  fierce  tribe  who 
lived  beyond  the  desert  and  across  the  distant  mountains, 
which  tribe  were  heretics  and  worshippers  of  fire.  Only 
a  few  of  them  escaped  to  bring  the  sad  news  to  other  com 
munities,  and  for  five  generations  no  attempt  was  made 
to  re-occupy  the  place. 

At  length  it  was  revealed  to  him,  our  friend  Kou-en, 
when  a  young  man,  that  he  was  a  re-incarnation  of  one  of 
the  old  monks  of  this  monastery,  who  also  was  named 
Kou-en,  and  that  it  was  his  duty  during  his  present  life 
to  return  thither,  as  by  so  doing  he  would  win  much  merit 
and  receive  many  wonderful  revelations.  So  he  gathered 
a  band  of  zealots  and,  with  the  blessing  and  consent  of 
his  superiors,  they  started  out,  and  after  many  hardships 
and  losses  found  and  took  possession  of  the  place,  repair 
ing  it  sufficiently  for  their  needs. 

This  happened  about  fifty  wars  before,  and  here  they 


40  AYES  HA 

had  dwelt  ever  since,  only  communicating  occasionally 
with  the  outside  world.  At  first  their  numbers  were  re 
cruited  from  time  to  time  by  new  brethren,  but  at  length 
these  ceased  to  come,  with  the  result  that  the  community 
was  dying  out 

"  And  what  then  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  And  then,"  the  abbot  answered,  "  nothing.  We  have 
acquired  much  merit ;  we  have  been  blest  with  many  reve 
lations,  and,  after  the  repose  we  have  earned  in  Devachan, 
our  lots  in  future  existences  will  be  easier.  What  more 
can  we  ask  or  desire,  removed  as  we  are  from  all  the- 
temptations  of  the  world  ?  " 

For  the  rest,  in  the  intervals  of  their  endless  prayers, 
and  still  more  endless  contemplations,  they  were  husband 
men,  cultivating  the  soil,  which  was  fertile  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  and  tending  their  herd  of  yaks.  Thus  they 
wore  away  their  blameless  lives  until  at  last  they  died  of 
old  age,  and,  as  they  believed — and  who  shall  say  that 
they  were  wrong — the  eternal  round  repeated  itself  else 
where. 

Immediately  after,  indeed  on  the  very  day  of  our  ar 
rival  at  the  monastery  the  winter  began  in  earnest  with 
bitter  cold  and  snowstorms  so  heavy  and  frequent  that  all 
the  desert  was  covered  deep.  Very  soon  it  became  obvious 
to  us  that  here  we  must  stay  until  the  spring,  since  to 
attempt  to  move  in  any  direction  would  be  to  perish.  With 
some  misgivings  we  explained  this  to  the  abbot  Kou-en, 
offering  to  remove  to  one  of  the  empty  rooms  in  the 
ruined  part  of  the  building,  supporting,  ourselves  with 
fish  that  we  could  catch  by  cutting  a  hole  in  the  ice  of 
the  lake  above  the  monastery,  and  if  we  were  able  to  find 
any,  on  game,  which  we  might  trap  or  shoot  in  the  scrub- 
like  forest  of  stunted  pines  and  junipers  that  grew  around 
its  border.  But  he  would  listen  to  no  such  thing.  We 
had  been  sent  to  be  their  guests,  he  said,  and  their  guests 
we  should  remain  for  so  long  as  might  be  convenient  to 


THE   LAMASERY  41 

us.  Would  we  lay  upon  them  the  burden  of  the  sin  of 
inhospitality  ?  Besides,  he  remarked  with  his  chuckle — 

"  We  who  dwell  alone  like  to  hear  about  that  other 
great  monastery  called  the  World,  where  the  monks  are 
not  so  favoured  as  we  who  are  set  in  this  blessed  situation, 
and  where  folk  even  go  hungry  in  body,  and,"  he  added, 
"  in  soul." 

Indeed,  as  we  soon  found  out,  the  dear  old  man's  object 
was  to  keep  our  feet  in  the  Path  until  we  reached  the  goal 
of  Truth,  or,  in  other  words,  became  excellent  Lamas  like 
himself  and  his  flock. 

So  we  walked  in  the  Path,  as  we  had  done  in  many 
another  Lamasery,  and  assisted  at  the  long  prayers  in  the 
ruined  temple  and  studied  the  Kandjur,  or  "  Translation 
of  the  Words  "  of  Buddha,  which  is  their  bible  and  a 
very  long  one,  and  generally  showed  that  our  "  minds  were 
open."  Also  we  expounded  to  them  the  doctrines  of  our 
own  faith,  and  greatly  delighted  were  they  to  find  so 
many  points  of  similarity  between  it  and  theirs.  Indeed, 
I  am  not  certain  but  that  if  we  could  have  stopped  there 
long  enough,  say  ten  years,  we  might  have  persuaded 
some  of  them  to  accept  a  new  revelation  of  which  we  were 
the  prophets.  Further,  in  spare  hours  we  told  them  many 
tales  of  "  the  Monastery  called  the  World,"  and  it  was 
really  delightful,  and  in  a  sense  piteous,  to  see  the  joy 
with  which  they  listened  to  these  stories  of  wondrous 
countries  and  new  races  of  men ;  they  who  knew  only  of 
Russia  and  China  and  some  semi-savage  tribes,  inhabitants 
of  the  mountains  and  the  deserts. 

"  It  is  right  for  us  to  learn  all  this,"  they  declared, 
"  for,  who  knows,  perhaps  in  future  incarnations  we  may 
become  inhabitants  of  these  places/ 

But  though  the  time  passed  thus  in  comfort  and  indeed, 
compared  to  many  of  our  experiences,  in  luxury,  oh !  our 
hearts  were  hungry,  for  in  them  bnrned  the  consuming 
fire  of  our  quest.  We  felt  that  we  were  on  the  threshold 
— yes,  we  knew  it,  we  knew  it,  and  yet  our  wretched  physi- 


42  'AYESHA 

cal  limitations  made  it  impossible  for  us  to  advance  by  a 
single  step.  On  the  desert  beneath  fell  the  snow,  more 
over  great  winds  arose  suddenly  that  drove  those  snows 
like  dust,  piling  them  in  heaps  as  high  as  trees,  beneath 
which  any  unfortunate  traveller  would  be  buried.  Here 
we  must  wait,  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done. 

One  alleviation  we  found,  and  only  one.  In  a  ruined 
room  of  the  monastery  was  a  library  of  many  volumes, 
placed  there,  doubtless,  by  the  monks  who  were  massacred 
in  times  bygone.  These  had  been  more  or  less  cared  for 
and  re-arranged  by  their  successors,  who  gave  us  liberty 
to  examine  them  as  often  as  we  pleased.  Truly  it 
was  a  strange  collection,  and  I  should  imagine 
of  priceless  value,  for  among  them  were  to  be  found 
Buddhistic,  Sivaistic  and  Shamanistic  writings  that  we 
had  never  before  seen  or  heard  of,  together  with  the 
lives  of  a  multitude  of  Bodhisatvas,  or  distinguished 
saints,  written  in  various  tongues,  some  of  which  we  did 
not  understand. 

What  proved  more  interesting  to  us,  however,  was  a 
diary  in  many  tomes  that  for  generations  had  been  kept 
by  the  Khubilghans  or  abbots  of  the  old  Lamasery,  in 
which  every  event  of  importance  was  recorded  in  great 
detail.  Turning  over  the  pages  of  one  of  the  last  volumes 
of  this  diary,  written  apparently  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  earlier,  and  shortly  before  the  destruction  of 
the  monastery,  we  came  upon  an  entry  of  which  the 
following — for  I  can  only  quote  from  memory — is  the 
substance — 

"  In  the  summer  of  this  year,  after  a  very  great  sand 
storm,  a  brother  (the  name  was  given,  but  I  forget  it) 
found  in  the  desert  a  man  of  the  people  who  dwell  beyond 
the  Far  Mountains,  of  whom  rumours  have  reached  this 
Lamasery  from  time  to  time.  He  was  living,  but  beside 
him  were  the  bodies  of  two  of  his  companions  who  had 
been  overwhelmed  by  sand  and  thirst.  He  was  very 
fierce  looking.  He  refused  to  say  how  he  came  into  the 


THE   LAMASERY  43 

desert,  telling  us  only  that  he  had  followed  the  road 
known  to  the  ancients  before  communication  between  his 
people  and  the  outer  world  ceased.  We  gathered,  how 
ever,  that  his  brethren  with  whom  he  fled  had  com 
mitted  some  crime  for  which  they  had  been  condemned 
to  die,  and  that  he  had  accompanied  them  in  their  flight. 
He  told  us  that  there  was  a  fine  country  beyond  the 
mountains,  fertile,  but  plagued  with  droughts  and  earth 
quakes,  which  latter,  indeed,  we  often  feel  here. 

"  The  people  of  that  country  were,  he  said,  warlike  and 
very  numerous  but  followed  agriculture.  They  had  al 
ways  lived  there,  though  ruled  by  Khans  who  were 
descendants  of  the  Greek  king  called  Alexander,  who 
conquered  much  country  to  the  south-west  of  us.  This 
may  be  true,  as  our  records  tell  us  that  about  two  thou 
sand  years  ago  an  army  sent  by  that  invader  penetrated 
to  these  parts,  though  of  his  being  with  them  nothing  is 
said. 

"  The  stranger-man  told  us  also  that  his  people  worship 
a  priestess  called  Hes  or  the  Hesea,  who  is  said  to  reign 
from  generation  to  generation.  She  lives  in  a  great 
mountain,  apart,  and  is  feared  and  adored  by  all,  but  is 
not  the  queen  of  the  country,  in  the  government  of  which 
she  seldom  interferes.  To  her,  however,  sacrifices  are 
offered,  and  he  who  incurs  her  vengeance  dies,  so  that 
even  the  chiefs  of  that  land  are  afraid  of  her.  Still  their 
subjects  often  fight,  for  they  hate  each  other. 

"  We  answered  that  he  lied  when  he  said  that  this 
woman  was  immortal — for  that  was  what  we  supposed  he 
meant — since  nothing  is  immortal ;  also  we  laughed  at  his 
tale  of  her  power.  This  made  the  man  very  angry.  In 
deed  he  declared  that  our  Buddha  was  not  so  strong  as 
this  priestess,  and  that  she  would  show  it  by  being  avenged 
upon  us. 

"  After  this  we  gave  him  food  and  turned  him  out  of 
the  Lamasery,  and  he  went,  saying  that  when  he  returned 
we  should  learn  who  spoke  the  truth.  We  do  not  know 


44  A  YES  HA 

what  became  of  him,  and  he  refused  to  reveal  to  us  the 
road  to  his  country,  which  lies  beyond  the  desert  and  the 
Far  Mountains.  We  think  that  perhaps  he  was  an  evil 
spirit  sent  to  frighten  us,  in  which  he  did  not  succeed." 

Such  is  a  precis  of  this  strange  entry,  the  discovery 
of  which,  vague  as  it  was,  thrilled  us  with  hope  and  ex 
citement  Nothing  more  appeared  about  the  man  or  his 
country,  but  within  a  little  over  a  year  from  that  date 
the  diary  of  the  abbot  came  to  a  sudden  end  without  any 
indication  that  unusual  events  had  occured  or  were  ex 
pected. 

Indeed,  the  last  item  written  in  the  parchment  book 
mentioned  the  preparation  of  certain  new  lands  to  be  used 
for  the  sowing  of  grain  in  future  seasons,  which  sug 
gested  that  the  brethren  neither  feared  nor  expected  dis 
turbance.  We  wondered  whether  the  man  from  beyond 
the  mountains  was  as  good  as  his  word  and  had  brought 
down  the  vengeance  of  that  priestess  called  the  Hesea 
upon  the  community  which  sheltered  him.  Also  we  won 
dered — ah !  how  we  wondered — who  and  what  this.  Hesea 
might  be. 

On  the  day  following  this  discovery  we  prayed  the 
abbot,  Kou-en,  to  accompany  us  to  the  library,  and  having 
read  him  the  passage,  asked  if  he  knew  anything  of  the 
matter.  He  swayed  his  wise  old  head,  which  always  re 
minded  me  of  that  of  a  tortoise,  and  answered — 

"  A  little.  Very  little,  and  that  mostly  about  the  army 
of  the  Greek  king  who  is  mentioned  in  the  writing." 

We  inquired  what  he  could  possibly  know  of  this  mat 
ter,  whereon  Kou-en  replied  calmly — 

"  In  those  days  when  the  faith  of  the  Holy  One  was 
still  young,  I  dwelt  as  a  humble  brother  in  this  very 
monastery,  which  was  one  of  the  first  built,  and  I  saw  the 
army  pass,  that  is  all.  That,"  he  added  meditatively, 
"  was  in  my  fiftieth  incarnation  of  this  present  Round — 


THE   LAMASERY  45 

no,  I  am  thinking  of  another  army — in  my  seventy- 
third."  1 

Here  Leo  began  a  great  laugh,  but  I  managed  to  kick 
him  beneath  the  table  and  he  turned  it  into  a  sneeze.  This 
was  fortunate,  as  such  ribald  merriment  would  have  hurt 
the  old  man's  feelings  terribly.  After  all,  also,  as  Leo 
himself  had  once  said,  surely  we  were  not  the  people  to 
mock  at  the  theory  of  re-incarnation,  which,  by  the  way, 
is  the  first  article  of  faith  among  nearly  one  quarter  of  the 
human  race,  and  this  not  the  most  foolish  quarter. 

"  How  can  that  be — I  ask  for  instruction,  learned  One 
— seeing  that  memory  perishes  with  death  ?  " 

"  Ah !  "  he  answered,  "  Brother  Holly,  it  may  seem  to 
do  so,  but  oftentimes  it  comes  back  again,  especially  to 
those  who  are  far  advanced  upon  the  Path.  For  instance, 
until  you  read  this  passage  I  had  forgotten  all  about  that 
army,  but  now  I  see  it  passing,  passing,  and  myself  with 
other  monks  standing  by  the  statue  of  the  big  Buddha 
in  front  yonder,  and  watching  it  go  by.  It  was  not  a  very 
large  army,  for  most  of  the  soldiers  had  died,  or  been 
killed,  and  it  was  being  pursued  by  the  wild  people  who 
lived  south  of  us  in  those  days,  so  that  it  was  in  a  great 
hurry  to  put  the  desert  between  it  and  them.  The  general 
of  the  army  was  a  swarthy  man — I  wish  that  I  could  re 
member  his  name,  but  I  cannot. 

"  Well,"  he  went  on,  "  that  general  came  up  to  the 
Lamasery  and  demanded  a  sleeping  place  for  his  wife 
and  children,  also  provisions  and  medicines,  and  guides 
across  the  desert.  The  abbot  of  that  day  told  him  it  was 
against  our  law  to  admit  a  woman  under  our  roof,  to 
which  he  answered  that  if  we  did  not,  we  should  have  no 
roof  left,  for  he  would  burn  the  place  and  kill  every  one 
of  us  with  the  sword.  Now,  as  you  know,  to  be  killed 
by  violence  means  that  we  must  pass  sundry  incarnations 

1  As  students  of  their  lives  and  literature  will  be  aware,  it  is  common     . 
for  Buddhist  priests  to  state  positively  that  they  remember  events  which 
occurred  during  their  previous  incarnations. — ED. 


46  AYES  HA 

in  the  forms  of  animals,  a  horrible  thing,  so  we  chose  the 
lesser  evil  and  gave  way,  and  afterwards  obtained  absolu 
tion  for  our  sins  from  the  Great  Lama.  Myself  I  did  not 
see  this  queen,  but  I  saw  the  priestess  of  their  worship — 
alas !  alas !  "  and  Kou-en  beat  his  breast. 

"  Why  alas  ?  "  I  asked,  as  unconcernedly  as  I  could, 
for  this  story  interested  me  strangely. 

"  Why  ?  Oh !  because  I  may  have  forgotten  the  army, 
but  I  have  never  forgotten  that  priestess,  and  she  has 
been  a  great  hindrance  to  me  through  many  ages,  delay 
ing  me  upon  my  journey  to  the  Other  Side,  to  the  Shore 
of  Salvation,  I,  as  a  humble  Lama,  was  engaged  in  pre 
paring  her  apartment  when  she  entered  and  threw  aside 
her  veil;  yes,  and  perceiving  a  young  man,  spoke  to  me, 
asking  many  questions,  and  even  if  I  was  not  glad  to 
look  again  upon  a  woman." 

"  What — what  was  she  like  ?  "  said  Leo,  anxiously. 

"  What  was  she  like  ?  Oh !  she  was  all  loveliness  in  one 
shape;  she  was  like  the  dawn  upon  the  snows;  she  was 
like  the  evening  star  above  the  mountains ;  she  was  like 
the  first  flower  of  the  spring.  Brother,  ask  me  not  what 
she  was  like,  nay,  I  will  say  no  more.  Oh !  my  sin,  my 
sin.  I  am  slipping  backward  and  you  draw  my  black 
shame  out  into  the  light  of  day.  Nay,  I  will  confess  it 
that  you  may  know  how  vile  a  thing  I  am — I  whom  per 
haps  you  have  thought  holy — like  yourselves.  That 
woman,  if  woman  she  were,  lit  a  fire  in  my  heart  which 
will  not  burn  out,  oh!  and  more,  more/'  and  Kou-en 
rocked  himself  to  and  fro  upon  his  stool  while  tears  of 
contrition  trickled  from  beneath  his  horn  spectacles,  "  she 
made  me  worship  her!  For  first  she  asked  me  of  my 
faith  and  listened  eagerly  as  I  expounded  it,  hoping  that 
the  light  would  come  into  her  heart;  then,  after  I  had 
finished  she  said — 

"  '  So  your  Path  is  Renunciation  and  your  Nirvana  a 
most  excellent  Nothingness  which  some  would  think  it 
scarce  worth  while  to  strive  so  hard  to  reach.  Now  I 


THE   LAMASERY  47 

will  show  you  a  more  joyous  way  and  a  goddess  more 
worthy  of  your  worship.' 

"  '  What  way,  and  what  goddess  ? '  I  asked  of  her. 

"  '  The  way  of  Love  and  Life/  she  answered,  '  that 
makes  all  the  world  to  be,  that  made  you,  O  seeker  of 
Nirvana,  and  the  goddess  called  Nature/ 

"  Again  I  asked  where  is  that  goddess,  and  behold ! 
she  drew  herself  up,  looking  most  royal,  and  touching  her 
ivory  breast,  she  said,  '  I  am  She.  Now  kneel  you  down 
and  do  me  homage/ 

"  My  brethren,  I  knelt,  yes,  I  kissed  her  foot,  and  then 
I  fled  away  shamed  and  broken-hearted,  and  as  I  went  she 
laughed,  and  cried :  '  Remember  me  when  you  reach 
Devachan,  O  servant  of  the  Budda- saint,  for  though  I 
change,  I  do  not  die,  and  even  there  I  shall  be  with  you 
who  once  gave  me  worship/ 

"  And  it  is  so,  my  brethren,  it  is  so ;  for  though  I  ob 
tained  absolution  for  my  sin  and  have  suffered  much  for 
it  through  this,  my  next  incarnation,  yet  I  cannot  be  rid 
of  her,  and  for  me  the  Utter  Peace  is  far,  far  away,"  and 
Kou-en  placed  his  withered  hands  before  his  face  and 
sobbed  outright. 

A  ridiculous  sight,  truly,  to  see  a  holy  Khublighan 
well  on  the  wrong  side  of  eighty,  weeping  like  a  child 
over  a  dream  of  a  beautiful  woman  which  he  imagined 
he  had  once  dreamt  in  his  last  life  more  than  two  thou 
sand  years  ago.  So  the  reader  will  say.  But  I,  Holly, 
for  reasons  of  my  own,  felt  deep  sympathy  with  that  poor 
old  man,  and  Leo  was  also  sympathetic.  We  patted  him 
on  the  back;  we  assured  him  that  he  was  the  victim  of 
some  evil  hallucination  which  could  never  be  brought  up 
against  him  in  this  or  any  future  existence,  since,  if  sin 
there  were,  it  must  have  been  forgiven  long  ago,  and  so 
forth.  When  his  calm  was  somewhat  restored  we  tried 
also  to  extract  further  information  from  him,  but  with 
poor  results,  so  far  as  the  priestess  was  concerned. 

He  said  that  he  did  not  know  to  what  religion  she 


48  AYES  HA 

belonged,  and  did  not  care,  but  thought  that  it  must  be  an 
evil  one.  She  went  away  the  next  morning  with  the 
army,  and  he  never  saw  or  heard  of  her  any  more,  though 
it  came  into  his  mind  that  he  was  obliged  to  be  locked  in 
his  cell  for  eight  days  to  prevent  himself  from  following 
her.  Yes,  he  had  heard  one  thing,  for  the  abbot  of  that 
day  had  told  the  brethren.  This  priestess  was  the  real 
general  of  the  army,  not  the  king  or  the  queen,  the  latter 
of  whom  hated  her.  It  was  by  her  will  that  they  pushed 
on  northwards  across  the  desert  to  some  country  beyond 
the  mountains,  where  she  desired  to  establish  herself  and 
her  worship. 

We  asked  if  there  really  was  any  country  beyond  the 
mountains,  and  Kou-en  answered  wearily  that  he  believed 
so.  Either  in  this  or  in  a  previous  life  he  had  heard  that 
people  lived  there  who  worshipped  fire.  Certainly  also 
it  was  true  that  about  thirty  years  ago  a  brother  who  had 
climbed  -the  great  peak  yonder  to  spend  some  days  in 
solitary  meditation,  returned  and  reported  that  he  had 
seen  a  marvellous  thing,  namely,  a  shaft  of  fire  burning  in 
the  heavens  beyond  those  same  mountains,  though  whether 
this  were  a  vision,  or  what,  he  could  not  say.  He  re-' 
called,  however,  that  about  that  time  they  had  felt  a  great 
earthquake. 

Then  the  memory  of  that  fancied  transgression  again 
began  to  afflict  Kou-en's  innocent  old  heart,  and  he  crept 
away  lamenting  and  was  seen  no  more  for  a  week.  Nor 
would  he  ever  speak  again  to  us  of  this  matter. 

But  we  spoke  of  it  much  with  hope  and  wonder,  and 
made  up  our  minds  that  we  would  at  once  ascend  this 
mountain. 


CHAPTER    III 

THE   BEACON    LIGHT 

A  WEEK  later  came  our  opportunity  of  making  this  ascent 
of  the  mountain,  for  now  in  mid-winter  it  ceased  storm 
ing,  and  hard  frost  set  in,  which  made  it  possible  to  walk 
upon  the  surface  of  the  snow.  Learning  from  the  monks 
that  at  this  season  ovis  poll  and  other  kinds  of  big-horned 
sheep  and  game  descended  from  the  hills  to  take  refuge 
in  certain  valleys,  where  they  scraped  away  the  snow  to 
find  food,  we  announced  that  we  were  going  out  to  hunt. 
The  excuse  we  gave  was  that  we  were  suffering  from  con 
finement  and  needed  exercise,  having  by  the  teaching  of 
our  religion  no  scruples  about  killing  game. 

Our  hosts  replied  that  the  adventure  was  dangerous,  as 
the  weather  might  change  at  any  moment.  They  told  us, 
however,  that  on  the  slopes  of  this  very  mountain  which 
we  desired  to  climb,  there  was  a  large  natural  cave  where, 
if  need  be,  we  could  take  shelter,  and  to  this  cave  one  of 
them,  somewhat  younger  and  more  active  than  the  rest, 
offered  to  guide  us  So,  having  manufactured  a  rough 
tent  from  skins,  and  laden  our  old  yak,  now  in  the  best 
of  condition,  with  food  and  garments,  on  one  still  morning 
we  started  as  soon  as  it  was  light.  Under  the  guidance 
of  the  monk,  who,  notwithstanding  his  years,  walked 
very  well,  we  reached  the  northern  slope  of  the  peak  be 
fore  mid-day.  Here,  as  he  had  said,  we  found  a  great 
cave  of  which  the  opening  was  protected  by  an  over-hang 
ing  ledge  of  rock.  Evidently  this  cave  was  the  favourite 
place  of  shelter  for  game  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
since  in  it  were  heaped  vast  accumulations  of  their  drop 
pings,  which  removed  any  fear  of  a  lack  of  fuel. 

49 


50  A  YES  HA 

The  rest  of  that  short  day  we  spent  in  setting  up  our 
tent  in  the  cave,  in  front  of  which  we  lit  a  large  fire,  and 
in  a  survey  of  the  slopes  of  the  mountain,  for  we  told  the 
monk  that  we  were  searching  for  the  tracks  of  wild  sheep. 
Indeed,  as  it  happened,  on  our  way  back  to  the  cave  we 
came  across  a  small  herd  of  ewes  feeding  upon  the  mosses 
in  a  sheltered  spot  where  in  summer  a  streamlet  ran.  Of 
these  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  kill  two,  for  no  sports 
man  had  ever  come  here,  and  they  were  tame  enough, 
poor  things.  As  meat  would  keep  for  ever  in  that  tem 
perature,  we  had  now  sufficient  food  to  last  us  for  a  fort 
night,  and  dragging  the  animals  down  the  snow  slopes  to 
the  cave,  we  skinned  them  by  the  dying  light. 

That  evening  we  supped  upon  fresh  mutton,  a  great  lux 
ury,  which  the  monk  enjoyed  as  much  as  we  did,  since, 
whatever  might  be  his  views  as  to  taking  life,  he  liked 
mutton.  Then  we  turned  into  the  tent  and  huddled  our 
selves  together  for  warmth,  as  the  temperature  must  have 
been  some  degrees  below  zero.  The  old  monk  rested  well 
enough,  but  neither  Leo  nor  I  slept  over  much,  for  won 
der  as  to  what  we  might  see  from  the  top  of  that  mountain 
banished  sleep. 

Next  morning  at  the  dawn,  the  weather  being  still 
favourable,  our  companion  returned  to  the  monastery, 
whither  we  said  we  would  follow  him  in  a  day  or  two. 

Now  at  last  we  were  alone,  and  without  wasting  an  in 
stant  began  our  ascent  of  the  peak.  It  was  many  thousand 
feet  high  and  in  certain  places  steep  enough,  but  the  deep, 
frozen  snow  made  climbing  easy,  so  that  by  midday  we 
reached  the  top.  Hence  the  view  was  magnificent.  Be 
neath  us  stretched  the  desert,  and  beyond  it  a  broad  belt 
of  fantastically  shaped,  snow-clad  mountains,  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  them ;  in  front,  to  the  right,  to  the  left, 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

"  They  are  just  as  I  saw  them  in  my  dream  so  many 
Wears  ago,"  muttered  Leo ;  "  the  same,  the  very  same." 
I     "  And  where  was  the  fiery  light  ?  "  I  asked. 


THE   BEACON   LIGHT  51 

"  Yonder,  I  think ;"  and  he  pointed  north  by  east. 

"  Well,  it  is  not  there  now,"  I  answered,"  and  this  place 
is  cold." 

So,  since  it  was  dangerous  to  linger,  lest  the  darkness 
should  overtake  us  on  our  return  journey,  we  descended 
the  peak  again,  reaching  the  cave  about  sunset.  The  next 
four  days  we  spent  in  the  same  way.  Every  morning 
we  crawled  up  those  wearisome  banks  of  snow,  and  every 
afternoon  we  slid  and  tobogganed  down  them  again,  till  I 
grew  heartily  tired  of  the  exercise. 

On  the  fourth  night,  instead  of  coming  to  sleep  in  the 
tent  Leo  sat  himself  down  at  the  entrance  to  the  cave.  I 
asked  him  why  he  did  this,  but  he  answered  impatiently, 
because  he  wished  it,  so  I  left  him  alone.  I  could  see, 
indeed,  that  he  was  in  a  strange  and  irritable  mood,  for 
the  failure  of  our  search  oppressed  him.  Moreover,  we 
knew,  both  of  us,  that  it  could  not  be  much  prolonged, 
since  the  weather  might  break  at  any  moment,  when 
ascents  of  the  mountain  would  become  impossible. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  I  was  awakened  by  Leo 
shaking  me  and  saying — 

"  Come  here,  Horace,  I  have  something  to  show  you." 

Reluctantly  enough  I  crept  from  between  the  rugs  and 
out  of  the  tent.  To  dress  there  was  no  need,  for  we  slept 
in  all  our  garments.  He  led  me  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave 
and  pointed  northward.  I  looked.  The  night  was  very 
dark;  but  far,  far  away  appeared  a  faint  patch  of  light 
upon  the  sky,  such  as  might  be  caused  by  the  reflection  of 
a  distant  fire. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  it  ?  "  he  asked  anxiously. 

"  Nothing  in  particular,"  I  answered,  "  it  may  be  any 
thing.  The  moon — no,  there  is  none,  dawn — no,  it  is  too 
northerly,  and  it  does  not  break  for  three  hours.  Some 
thing  burning,  a  house,  or  a  funeral  pyre,  but  how  can 
there  be  such  things  here  ?  I  give  it  up." 

"  I  think  it  is  a  reflection,  and  that  if  we  were  on  the 
peak  we  should  see  the  light  which  throws  it,"  said  Leo 
slowly. 


52  AYES  HA 

"  Yes,  but  we  are  not,  and  cannot  get  there  in  the  dark." 

"  Then,  Horace,  we  must  spend  a  night  there." 

"  It  will  be  our  last  in  this  incarnation,"  I  answered 
with  a  laugh,  "  that  is  if  it  comes  on  to  snow." 

"  We  must  risk  it,  or  I  will  risk  it.  Look,  the  light  has 
faded ;  "  and  there  at  least  he  was  right,  for  undoubtedly 
it  had.  The  night  was  as  black  as  pitch. 

"  Let's  talk  it  over  to-morrow,"  I  said,  and  went  back 
to  the  tent,  for  I  was  sleepy  and  incredulous,  but  Leo  sat 
on  by  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 

At  dawn  I  awoke  and  found  breakfast  already  cooked. 

"  I  must  start  early,"  Leo  explained. 

"  Are  you  mad  ?  "  I  asked.  "  How  can  we  camp  on 
that  place?" 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  am  going.    I  must  go,  Horace." 

"  Which  means  that  we  both  must  go.  But  how  about 
the  yak?" 

"  Where  we  can  climb,  it  can  follow,"  he  answered. 

So  we  strapped  the  tent  and  other  baggage,  including 
a  good  supply  of  cooked  meat,  upon  the  beast's  back,  and 
started.  The  tramp  was  long  since  we  were  obliged  to 
make  some  detours  to  avoid  slopes  of  frozen  snow  in 
which,  on  our  previous  ascents,  we  had  cut  footholds  with 
an  axe,  for  up  these  the  laden  animal  could  not  clamber. 
Reaching  the  summit  at  length,  we  dug  a  hole,  and  there 
pitched  the  tent,  piling  the  excavated  snow  about  its  sides. 
By  this  time  it  began  to  grow  dark,  and  having  descended 
into  the  tent,  yak  and  all,  we  ate  our  food  and  waited. 

Oh !  what  cold  was  that.  The  frost  was  fearful,  and  at 
this  height  a  wind  blew  whose  icy  breath  passed  through 
all  our  wrappings,  and  seemed  to  burn  our  flesh  beneath 
as  though  with  hot  irons.  It  was  fortunate  that  we  had 
brought  the  yak,  for  without  the  warmth  from  its  shaggy 
body  I  believe  that  we  should  have  perished,  even  in  our 
tent.  For  some  hours  we  watched,  as  indeed  we  must, 
since  to  sleep  might  mean  to  die,  yet  saw  nothing  save  the 
lonely  stars,  and  heard  nothing  in  that  awful  silence,  for 


THE   BEACON   LIGHT  53 

here  even  the  wind  made  no  noise  as  it  slid  across  the 
snows.  Accustomed  as  I  was  to  such  exposure,  my  facul 
ties  began  to  grow  numb  and  my  eyes  to  shut,  when  sud 
denly  Leo  said — 

"  Look,  below  the  red  star!  " 

I  looked,  and  there  high  in  the  sky  was  the  same  curious 
glow  which  we  had  seen  upon  the  previous  night.  There 
was  more  than  this  indeed,  for  beneath  it,  almost  on  a  line 
with  us  and  just  above  the  crests  of  the  intervening  peaks, 
appeared  a  faint  sheet  of  fire  and  revealed  against  it, ; 
something  black.  Whilst  we  watched,  the  fire  widened, 
spread  upwards  and  grew  in  power  and  intensity.  Now 
against  its  naming  background  the  black  object  became 
clearly  visible,  and  lo !  it  was  the  top  of  a  soaring  pillar 
surmounted  by  a  loop.  Yes,  we  could  see  its  every  out 
line.  It  was  the  crux  ansata,  the  Symbol  of  Life  itself. 

The  symbol  vanished,  the  fire  sank.  Again  it  blazed  up  / 
more  fiercely  than  before  and  the  loop  appeared  afresh, 
then  once  more  disappeared.  A  third  time  the  fire  shone,  ] 
and  with  such  intensity,  that  no  lightning  could  surpass 
its  brilliance.  All  around  the  heavens  were  lit  up,  and 
through  the  black  needle-shaped  eye  of  the  symbol,  as 
from  the  flare  of  a  beacon,  or  the  search-light  of  a  ship, 
one  fierce  ray  shot  across  the  sea  of  mountain  tops  and 
the  spaces  of  the  desert,  straight  as  an  arrow  to  the  lofty 
peak  on  which  we  lay.  Yes,  it  lit  upon  the  snow,  staining" 
it  red,  and  upon  the  wild,  white  faces  of  us  who  watched, 
though  to  the  right  and  left  of  us  spread  thick  darkness. 
My  compass  lay  before  me  on  the  snow,  and  I  could  even 
see  its  needle ;  and  beyond  us  the  shape  of  a  white  fox 
that  had  crept  near,  scenting  food.  Then  it  was  gone  as 
swiftly  as  it  came.  Gone  too  were  the  symbol  and  the  veil 
of  flame  behind  it,  only  the  glow  lingered  a  little  on  the 
distant  sky. 

For  awhile  there  was  silence  between  us,  then  Leo 
said — 

"  Do  you  remember,  Horace,  when  we  lay  upon  the 


54  AYES  HA 

Rocking  Stone  where  her  cloak  fell  upon  me —  "  as  he 
said  the  words  the  breath  caught  in  his  throat — "  how 
the  ray  of  light  was  sent  to  us  in  farewell,  and  to  show 
us  a  path  of  escape  from  the  Place  of  Death?  Now  I 
think  that  it  has  been  sent  again  in  greeting  to  point  out 
the  path  to  the  Place  of  Life  where  Ayesha  dwells,  whom 
>ve  have  lost  awhile." 

"  It  may  be  so,"  I  answered  shortly,  for  the  matter 
was  beyond  speech  or  argument,  beyond  wonder  even. 
But  I  knew  then,  as  I  know  now  that  we  were  players  in 
some  mighty,  predestined  drama;  that  our  parts  were 
written  and  we  must  speak  them,  as  our  path  was  pre 
pared  and  we  must  tread  it  to  the  end  unknown.  Fear 
and  doubt  were  left  behind,  hope  was  sunk  in  certainty; 
the  fore-shadowing  visions  of  the  night  had  found  an 
actual  fulfilment  and  the  pitiful  seed  of  the  promise  of  her 
who  died,  growing  unseen  through  all  the  cruel,  empty 
years,  had  come  to  harvest. 

No,  we  feared  no  more,  not  even  when  with  the  dawn 
rose  the  roaring  wind,  through  which  we  struggled  down 
the  mountain  slopes,  as  it  would  seem  in  peril  of  our 
lives  at  every  step ;  not  even  as  hour  by  hour  we  fought 
our  way  onwards  through  the  whirling  snow-storm,  that 
made  us  deaf  and  blind.  For  we  knew  that  those  lives 
were  charmed.  We  could  not  see  or  hear,  yet  we  were 
led.  Clinging  to  the  yak,  we  struggled  downward  and 
homewards,  till  at  length  out  of  the  turmoil  and  the  gloom 
its  instinct  brought  us  unharmed  to  the  door  of  the  monas 
tery,  where  the  old  abbot  embraced  us  in  his  joy,  and  the 
monks  put  up  prayers  of  thanks.  For  they  were  sure  that 
we  must  be  dead.  Through  such  a  storm,  they  said,  no 
man  had  ever  lived  before. 

It  was  still  mid-winter,  and  oh !  the  awful  weariness  of 
those  months  of  waiting.  In  our  hands  was  the  key, 
yonder  amongst  those  mountains  lay  the  door,  but  not  yet 
might  we  set  that  key  within  its  lock.  For  between  us 


THE   BEACON  LIGHT  55 

and  these  stretched  the  great  desert,  where  the  snow 
rolled  like  billows,  and  until  that  snow  melted  we  dared 
not  attempt  its  passage.  So  we  sat  in  the  monastery, 
and  schooled  our  hearts  to  patience. 

Still  even  to  these  frozen  wilds  of  Central  Asia  spring 
comes  at  last.  One  evening  the  air  felt  warm,  and  that 
night  there  were  only  a  few  degrees  of  frost.  The  next 
the  clouds  banked  up,  and  in  the  morning  not  snow  was 
falling  from  them,  but  rain,  and  we  found  the  old  monks 
preparing  their  instruments  of  husbandry,  as  they  said 
that  the  season  of  sowing  was  at  hand.  For  three  days  it 
rained,  while  the  snows  melted  before  our  eyes.  On  the 
fourth  torrents  of  water  were  rushing  down  the  mountain 
and  the  desert  was  once  more  brown  and  bare,  though  not 
for  long,  for  within  another  week  it  was  carpeted  with 
flowers.  Then  we  knew  that  the  time  had  come  to  start. 

"  But  whither  go  you  ?  Whither  go  you  ?  "  asked  the 
old  abbot  in  dismay.  "  Are  you  not  happy  here  ?  Do 
you  not  make  great  strides  along  the  Path,  as  may  be 
known  by  your  pious  conversation?  Is  not  everything 
that  we  have  your  own  ?  Oh !  why  would  you  leave  us  ?  " 

"  We  are  wanderers,"  we  answered,  "  and  when  we 
see  mountains  in  front  of  us  we  must  cross  them." 

Kou-en  looked  at  us  shrewdly,  then  asked — 

"  What  do  you  seek  beyond  the  mountains  ?  And,  my 
brethren,  what  merit  is  gathered  by  hiding  the  truth 
from  an  old  man,  for  such  concealments  are  separated 
from  falsehoods  but  by  the  length  of  a  single  barleycorn. 
Tell  me,  that  at  least  my  prayers  may  accompany  you." 

"  Holy  abbot,"  I  said,  "  awhile  ago  yonder  in  the  library 
you  made  a  certain  confession  to  us." 

"  Oh !  remind  me  not  of  it,"  he  said,  holding  up  his 
hands.  "  Why  do  you  wish  to  torment  me  ?  " 

"  Far  be  the  thought  from  us,  most  kind  friend  and 
virtuous  man,"  I  answered.  "  But,  as  it  chances,  your 
story  is  very  much  our  own,  and  we  think  that  we  have 
experience  of  this  same  priestess." 


5  6  A  YES  HA 

"  Speak  on,"  he  said,  much  interested. 

So  I  told  him  the  outlines  of  our  tale ;  for  an  hour  or 
more  I  told  it  while  he  sat  opposite  to  us  swaying  his  head 
like  a  tortoise  and  saying  nothing.  At  length  it  was  done. 

"  Now,"  I  added,  "  let  the  lamp  of  your  wisdom  shine 
upon  our  darkness.  Do  you  not  find  this  story  wondrous, 
or  do  you  perchance  think  that  we  are  liars  ?  " 

"  Brethren  of  the  great  monastery  called  the  World," 
Kou-en  answered  with  his  customary  chuckle,  "  why 
should  I  think  you  liars  who,  from  the  moment  my  eyes 
fell  upon  you,  knew  you  to  be  true  men  ?  Moreover,  why 
should  I  hold  this  tale  so  very  wondrous  ?  You  have  but 
stumbled  upon  the  fringe  of  a  truth  with  which  we  have 
been  acquainted  for  many,  many  ages. 

"  Because  in  a  vision  she  showed  you  this  monastery, 
and  led  you  to  a  spot  beyond  the  mountains  where  she 
vanished,  you  hope  that  this  woman  whom  you  saw  die  is 
re-incarnated  yonder.  Why  not  ?  In  this  there  is  nothing 
impossible  to  those  who  are  instructed  in  the  truth,  though 
the  lengthening  of  her  last  life  was  strange  and  contrary 
to  experience.  Doubtless  you  will  find  her  there  as  you 
expect,  and  doubtless  her  khama,  or  identity,  is  the  same 
as  that  which  in  some  earlier  life  of  hers  once  brought  me 
to  sin. 

"  Only  be  not  mistaken,  she  is  no  immortal ;  nothing  is 
immortal.  She  is  but  a  being  held  back  by  her  own  pride, 
her  own  greatness  if  you  will,  upon  the  path  towards  Nir 
vana.  That  pride  will  be  humbled,  as  already  it  has  been 
humbled;  that  brow  of  majesty  shall  be  sprinkled  with 
the  dust  of  change  and  death,  that  sinful  spirit  must  be 
purified  by  sorrows  and  by  separations.  Brother  Leo,  if 
you  win  her,  it  will  be  but  to  lose,  and  then  the  ladder 
must  be  reclimbed.  Brother  Holly,  for  you  as  for  me  loss 
is  our  only  gain,  since  thereby  we  are  spared  much 
woe.  Oh!  bide  here  and  pray  with  me.  Why  dash 
yourselves  against  a  rock?  Why  labour  to  pour  water 
into  a  broken  jar  whence  it  must  sink  into  the  sands  of 


THE   BEACON   LIGHT  57 

profitless  experience,  and  there  be  wasted,  whilst  you  re 
main  athirst  ?  " 

"  Water  makes  the  sand  fertile,"  I  answered.  "  Where 
water  falls,  life  conies,  and  sorrow  is  the  seed  of  joy/' 

"  Love  is  the  law  of  life,"  broke  in  Leo ;  "  without  love 
there  is  no  life.  I  seek  love  that  I  may  live.  I  believe  that 
all  these  things  are  ordained  to  an  end  which  we  do  not 
know.  Fate  draws  me  on — I  fulfil  my  fate " 

"  And  do  but  delay  your  freedom.  Yet  I  will  not 
argue  with  you,  brother,  who  must  follow  your  own  road. 
See  now,  what  has  this  woman,  this  priestess  of  a  false 
faith  if  she  be  so  still,  brought  you  in  the  past  ?  Once  in 
another  life,  or  so  I  understand  your  story,  you  were 
sworn  to  a  certain  nature-goddess,  who  was  named  Isis, 
were  you  not,  and  to  her  alone  ?  Then  a  woman  tempted 
you,  and  you  fled  with  her  afar.  And  there  what  found 
you?  The  betrayed  and  avenging  goddess  who  slew 
you,  or  if  not  the  goddess,  one  who  had  drunk  of  her 
wisdom  and  was  the  minister  of  her  vengeance. 
Having  that  wisdom  this  minister — woman  or  evil 
spirit — refused  to  die  because  she  had  learned  to  love 
you,  but  waited  knowing  that  in  your  next  life  she  would 
find  you  again,  as  indeed  she  would  have  done  more 
swiftly  in  Devachan  had  she  died  without  living  on 
alone  in  so  much  misery.  And  she  found  you,  and  she 
died,  or  seemed  to  die,  and  now  she  is  re-born,  as  she 
must  be,  and  doubtless  you  will  meet  once  more,  and 
aga;n  there  must  come  misery.  Oh!  my  friends,  go  not 
across  the  mountains ;  bide  here  with  me  and  lament  your 
sins." 

"  Nay,"  answered  Leo,  "  we  are  sworn  to  a  tryst,  and 
we  do  not  break  our  word." 

'''  Then,  brethren,  go  keep  your  tryst,  and  when  you 
have  reaped  its  harvest  think  upon  my  sayings,  for  I  am 
sure  that  the  wine  you  crush  from  the  vintage  of  your 
desire  will  run  red  like  blood,  and  that  in  its  drinking  you 
shall  find  neither  forgetfulness  nor  peace.  Made  blind  by 


58  A  YES  HA 

a  passion  of  which  well  I  know  the  sting  and  power,  you 
seek  to  add  a  fair-faced  evil  to  your  lives,  thinking  that 
from  this  unity  there  shall  be  born  all  knowledge  and 
great  joy. 

"  Rather  should  you  desire  to  live  alone  in  holiness  until 
at  length  your  separate  lives  are  merged  and  lost  in  the 
•Good  Unspeakable,  the  eternal  bliss  that  lies  in  the  last 
Nothingness.  Ah!  you  do  not  believe  me  now;  you 
shake  your  heads  and  smile ;  yet  a  day  will  dawn,  it  may 
be  after  many  incarnations,  when  you  shall  bow  them  in 
the  dust  and  weep,  saying  to  me,  '  Brother  Kou-en,  yours 
were  the  words  of  wisdom,  ours  the  deeds  of  foolish 
ness  ; '  "  and  with  a  deep  sigh  the  old  man  turned  and 
left  us. 

"  A  cheerful  faith,  truly,"  said  Leo,  looking  after  him, 
"  to  dwell  through  aeons  in  monotonous  misery  in  order 
that  consciousness  may  be  swallowed  up  at  last  in  some 
void  and  formless  abstraction  called  the  '  Utter  Peace/ 
I  would  rather  take  my  share  of  a  bad  world  and  keep 
my  hope  of  a  better.  Also  I  do  not  think  that  he  knows 
anything  of  Ayesha  and  her  destiny/' 

"  So  would  I,"  I  answered,  "  though  perhaps  he  is 
right  after  all.  Who  can  tell  ?  Moreover,  what  is  the  use 
of  reasoning?  Leo,  we  have  no  choice;  we  follow  our 
fate.  To  what  that  fate  may  lead  us  we  shall  learn  in  due 
season/' 

Then  we  went  to  rest,  for  it  was  late,  though  I  found 
little  sleep  that  night.  The  warnings  of  the  ancient  abbot, 
good  and  learned  man  as  he  was,  full  also  of  ripe  experi 
ence  and  of  the  foresighted  wisdom  that  is  given  to  such 
as  he,  oppressed  me  deeply.  He  promised  us  sorrow  and 
bloodshed  beyond  the  mountains,  ending  in  death  and  re 
births  full  of  misery.  Well,  it  might  be  so,  but  no  ap 
proaching  sufferings  could  stay  our  feet.  And  even  if 
they  could,  they  should  not,  since  to  see  her  face  again  I 
was  ready  to  brave  them  all.  And  if  this  was  my  case 
what  must  be  that  of  Leo !  " 


THE   BEACON  LIGHT  59 

A  strange  theory  that  of  Kou-en's,  that  Ayesha  was 
the  goddess  in  old  Egypt  to  whom  Kallikrates  was 
priest,  or  at  the  least  her  representative1.  That  the  royal 
Amenartas,  with  whom  he  fled,  seduced  him  from  the 
goddess  to  whom  he  was  sworn.  That  this  goddess  in 
carnate  in  Ayesha — or  using  the  woman  Ayesha  and  her 
passions  as  her  instruments — was  avenged  upon  them 
both  at  Kor,  and  that  there  in  an  after  age  the  bolt  she 
shot  fell  back  upon  her  own  head. 

Well,  I  had  often  thought  as  much  myself.  Only  I  was, 
sure  that  She  herself  could  be  no  actual  divinity,  though 
she  might  be  a  manifestation  of  one,  a  priestess,  a  mes 
senger,  charged  to  work  its  will,  to  avenge  or  to  reward, 
and  yet  herself  a  human  soul,  with  hopes  and  passions  to 
be  satisfied,  and  a  destiny  to  fulfil.  In  truth,  writing  now, 
when  all  is  past  and  done  with,  I  find  much  to  confirm  me 
in,  and  little  to  turn  me  from  that  theory,  since  life  and 
powers  of  a  quality  which  are  more  than  human  do  not 
alone  suffice  to  make  a  soul  divine.  On  the  other  hand, 
however,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  on  one  occasion 
at  any  rate,  Ayesha  did  undoubtedly  suggest  that  in  the 
beginning  she  was  "  a  daughter  of  Heaven,"  and  that 
there  were  others,  notably  the  old  Shaman  Simbri,  who 
seemed  to  take  it  for  granted  that  her  origin  was  super 
natural.  But  of  all  these  things  I  hope  to  speak  in  their 
season. 

Meanwhile  what  lay  beyond  the  mountains?  Should 
we  find  her  there  who  held  the  sceptre  and  upon  earth 
wielded  the  power  of  the  outraged  Isis,  and  with  her,  that 
other  woman  who  wrought  the  wrong  ?  And  if  so,  would 
the  dread,  inhuman  struggle  reach  its  climax  around  the 
person  of  the  sinful  priest  ?  In  a  few  months,  a  few  days 
even,  we  might  begin  to  know. 

Thrilled  by  this  thought  at  length  I  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE  AVALANCHE 

ON  the  morning  of  the  second  day  from  that  night  the 
sunrise  found  us  already  on  our  path  across  the  desert. 
There,  nearly  a  mile  behind  us,  we  could  see  the  ruined 
statue  of  Buddha  seated  in  front  of  the  ancient  monastery, 
and  in  that  clear  atmosphere  could  even  distinguish  the 
bent  form  of  our  friend,  the  old  abbot,  Kou-en,  leaning 
against  it  until  we  were  quite  lost  to  sight.  All  the 
monks  had  wept  when  we  parted  from  them,  and  Kou-en 
even  more  bitterly  than  the  rest,  for  he  had  learned  to 
love  us. 

"  I  am  grieved,"  he  said,  "  much  grieved,  which  in 
deed  I  should  not  be,  for  such  emotion  partakes  of  sin. 
Yet  I  find  comfort,  for  I  know  well  that  although  I  must 
soon  leave  this  present  life,  yet  we  shall  meet  again  in 
many  future  incarnations,  and  after  you  have  put  away 
these  follies,  together  tread  the  path  to  perfect  peace. 
Now  take  with  you  my  blessings  and  my  prayers  and 
begone,  forgetting  not  tliat  should  you  live  to  return  " — 
and  he  shook  his  head:  doubtfully — "  here  you  will  be  ever 
welcome." 

So  we  embraced  him  and  went  sorrowfully. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  when  the  mysterious  light 
fell  upon  us  on  the  peak  I  had  my  compass  with  me  and 
was  able  roughly  to  take  its  bearings.  For  lack  of  any 
better  guide  we  now  followed  these  bearings,  travelling 
almost  due  north-east,  for  in  that  direction  had  shone  the 
fire.  All  day  in  the  most  beautiful  weather  we  marched 

60 


THE   AVALANCHE  61 

across  the  flower-strewn  desert,  seeing  nothing  except 
bunches  of  game  and  one  or  two  herds  of  wild  asses  which 
had  come  down  from  the  mountains  to  feed  upon  the  new 
grass.  As  evening  approached  we  shot  an  antelope  and 
made  our  camp — for  we  had  brought  the  yak  and  a  tent 
with  us — among  some  tamarisk  scrub,  of  which  the  dry 
stems  furnished  us  with  fuel.  Nor  did  we  lack  for 
water,  since  by  scraping  in  the  sand  soaked  with  melted 
snow,  we  found  plenty  of  fair  quality.  So  that  night  we 
supped  in  luxury  upon  tea  and  antelope  meat,  which  in 
deed  we  were  glad  to  have,  as  it  spared  our  little  store  of 
dried  provisions. 

The  next  morning  we  ascertained  our  position  as  well 
as  we  could,  and  estimated  that  we  had  crossed  about  a 
quarter  of  the  desert,  a  guess  which  proved  very  accurate, 
for  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  of  our  journey  we 
reached  the  bottom  slopes  of  the  opposing  mountains, 
without  having  experienced  either  accident  or  fatigue. 
As  Leo  said,  things  were  "  going  like  clockwork,"  but  I 
reminded  him  that  a  good  start  often  meant  a  bad  finish. 
Nor  was  I  wrong,  for  now  came  our  hardships.  To 
begin  with,  the  mountains  proved  to  be  exceeding  high ; 
it  took  us  two  days  to  climb  their  lower  slopes.  Also  the 
heat  of  the  sun  had  softened  the  snow,  which  made 
walking  through  it  laborious,  whilst,  accustomed  though 
we  were  to  such  conditions  through  long  years  of  travel 
ling,  its  continual  glitter  affected  our  eyes. 

The  morning  of  the  seventh  day  found  us  in  the  mouth 
of  a  defile  which  wound  away  into  the  heart  of  the 
mountains.  As  it  seemed  the  only  possible  path,  we  fol 
lowed  it,  and  were  much  cheered  to  discover  that  here 
must  once  have  run  a  road.  Not  that  we  could  see  any 
road,  indeed,  for  everything  was  buried  in  snow.  But 
that  one  lay  beneath  our  feet  we  were  certain,  since,  al 
though  we  marched  along  the  e^dge  of  precipices,  our 
path,  however  steep,  was  always  flat ;  moreover,  the  rock 
upon  one  side  of  it  had  often  been  scarped  by  the  hand  of 


62  'AYESHA 

man.  Of  this  there  could  be  no  doubt,  for  as  the  snow 
did  not  cling  here,  we  saw  the  tool  marks  upon  its  bare 
surface. 

Also  we  came  to  several  places  where  galleries  had 
been  built  out  from  the  mountain  side,  by  means  of  beams 
let  into  it,  as  is  still  a  common  practice  in  Thibet.  These 
beams  of  course  had  long  since  rotted  away,  leaving  a 
gulf  between  us  and  the  continuation  of  the  path.  When 
we  met  with  such  gaps  we  were  forced  to  go  back  and. 
make  a  detour  round  or  over  some  mountain ;  but  al 
though  much  delayed  thereby,  as  it  happened,  we  always 
managed  to  regain  the  road,  if  not  without  difficulty  and 
danger. 

What  tried  us  more — for  here  our  skill  and  experience 
as  mountaineers  could  not  help  us — was  the  cold  at  nightr 
obliged  as  we  were  to  camp  in  the  severe  frost  at  a  great 
altitude,  and  to  endure  through  the  long  hours  of  dark 
ness  penetrating  and  icy  winds,  which  soughed  cease 
lessly  down  the  pass. 

At  length  on  the  tenth  day  we  reached  the  end  of  the 
defile,  and  as  night  was  falling,  camped  there  in  the  most 
bitter  cold.  Those  were  miserable  hours,  for  now  we 
had  no  fuel  with  which  to  boil  water,  and  must  satisfy 
our  thirst  by  eating  frozen  snow,  while  our  eyes  smarted 
so  sorely  that  we  could  not  sleep,  and  notwithstanding  all 
our  wraps  and  the  warmth  that  we  gathered  from  the  yak 
in  the  little  tent,  the  cold  caused  our  teeth  to  chatter  like 
castanets. 

The  dawn  came,  and,  after  it,  the  sunrise.  We  crept 
from  the  tent,  and  leaving  it  standing  awhile,  dragged 
our  stiffened  limbs  a  hundred  yards  or  so  to  a  spot  where 
the  defile  took  a  turn,  in  order  that  we  might  thaw  in  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  which  at  that  hour  could  not  reach  us 
where  we  had  camped. 

Leo  was  round  it  first,  and  I  heard  him  utter  an  ex 
clamation.  In  a  few  seconds  I  reached  his  side,  and  lo  \ 
before  us  lay  our  Promised  Land. 


THE   AVALANCHE  63 

Far  beneath  us,  ten  thousand  feet  at  least — for  it  must 
be  remembered  that  we  viewed  it  from  the  top  of  a 
mountain — it  stretched  away  and  away  till  its  distances 
met  the  horizon.  In  character  it  was  quite  flat,  an  alluvial 
plain  that  probably,  in  some  primeval  age,  had  been  the 
bottom  of  one  of  the  vast  lakes  of  which  a  number  exist 
in  Central  Asia,  most  of  them  now  in  process  of  desicca 
tion.  One  object  only  relieved  this  dreary  flatness,  a 
single,  snow-clad,  and  gigantic  mountain,  of  which  even 
at  that  distance — for  it  was  very  far  from  us — we  could 
clearly  see  the  outline.  Indeed  we  could  see  more,  for 
from  its  rounded  crest  rose  a  great  plume  of  smoke, 
showing  that  it  was  an  active  volcano,  and  on  the  hither 
lip  of  the  crater  an  enormous  pillar  of  rock,  whereof  the 
top  was  formed  to  the  shape  of  a  loop. 

Yes,  there  it  stood  before  us,  that  symbol  of  our  vision 
which  we  had  sought  these  many  years,  and  at  the 
sight  of  it  our  hearts  beat  fast  and  our  breath  came 
quickly.  We  noted  at  once  that  although  we  had  not 
seen  it  during  our  passage  of  the  mountains,  since  the 
peaks  ahead  and  the  rocky  sides  of  the  defile  hid  it  from 
view,  so  great  was  its  height  that  it  overtopped  the  tallest 
of  them.  This  made  it  clear  to  us  how  it  came  to  be 
possible  that  the  ray  of  light  passing  through  the  loop 
could  fall  upon  the  highest  snows  of  that  towering  pinna 
cle  which  we  had  climbed  upon  the  further  side  of  the 
.desert. 

Also  now  we  were  certain  of  the  cause  of  that  ray,  for 
the  smoke  behind  the  loop  explained  this  mystery.  Doubt 
less,  at  times  when  the  volcano  was  awake,  that  smoke 
must  be  replaced  by  flame,  emitting  light  of  fearful  in 
tensity,  and  this  light  it  was  that  reached  us,  concentrated 
and  directed  by  the  loop. 

For  the  rest  we  thought  that  about  thirty  miles  away 
we  could  make  out  a  white-roofed  town  set  upon  a 
mound,  situated  among  trees  upon  the  banks  of  a  wide 
river,  which  flowed  across  the  plain.  Also  it  was  evident 


(54  A  YES  HA 

that  this  country  had  a  large  population  who  cultivated 
.the  soil,  for  by  the  aid  of  a  pair  of  field  glasses,  one  of 
our  few  remaining  and  most  cherished  possessions,  we 
could  see  the  green  of  springing  crops  pierced  by  irriga 
tion  canals  and  the  lines  of  trees  that  marked  the  limits 
of  the  fields. 

Yes,  there  before  us  stretched  the  Promised  Land,  and 
there  rose  the  mystic  Mount,  so  that  all  we  had  to  do 
,was  to  march  down  the  snow  slopes  and  enter  it  where  we 
would. 

Thus  we  thought  in  our  folly,  little  guessing  what  lay 
before  us,  what  terrors  and  weary  suffering  we  must 
endure  before  we  stood  at  length  beneath  the  shadow  of 
the  Symbol  of  Life. 

Our  fatigues  forgotten,  we  returned  to  the  tent,  hastily 
swallowed  some  of  our  dried  food,  which  we  washed 
down  with  lumps  of  snow  that  gave  us  toothache  and 
chilled  us  inside,  but  which  thirst  compelled  us  to  eat, 
dragged  the  poor  yak  to  its  feet,  loaded  it  up,  and  started. 

All  this  while,  so  great  was  our  haste  and  so  occupied 
were  each  of  us  with  our  own  thoughts  that,  if  my  mem 
ory  serves  me,  we  scarcely  interchanged  a  word.  Down 
the  snow  slopes  we  marched  swiftly  and  without  hesita*- 
tion,  for  here  the  road  was  marked  for  us  by  means  of 
pillars  of  rock  set  opposite  to  one  another  at  intervals. 
These  pillars  we  observed  with  satisfaction,  for  they  told 
us  that  we  were  still  upon  a  highway  which  led  to  the 
Promised  Land. 

Yet,  as  we  could  not  help  noting,  it  was  one  which 
seemed  to  have  gone  out  of  use,  since  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  wild-sheep  tracks  and  the  spoor  of  some  bears 
and  mountain  foxes,  not  a  single  sign  of  beast  or  man 
could  we  discover.  This,  however,  was  to  be  explained, 
we  reflected,  by  the  fact  that  doubtless  the  road  was  only 
used  in  the  summer  season.  Or  perhaps  the  inhabitants 
of  the  country  were  now  stay-at-home  people  who  never 
travelled  it  at  all. 


THE   AVALANCHE  65 

Those  slopes  were  longer  than  we  thought;  indeed, 
when  darkness  closed  in  we  had  not  reached  the  foot  of 
them.  So  we  were  obliged  to  spend  another  night  in  the 
snow,  pitching  our  tent  in  the  shelter  of  an  over-hanging 
rock.  As  we  had  descended  many  thousand  feet,  the 
temperature  proved,  fortunately,  a  little  milder;  indeed, 
I  do  not  think  that  there  were  more  than  eighteen  or 
twenty  degrees  of  frost  that  night.  Also  here  and  there 
the  heat  of  the  sun  had  melted  the  snow  in  secluded 
places,  so  that  we  were  able  to  find  water  to  drink,  while 
the  yak  could  fill  its  poor  old  stomach  with  dead-looking 
mountain  mosses,  which  it  seemed  to  think  better  than 
nothing. 

Again,  the  still  dawn  came,  throwing  its  red  garment 
over  the  lonesome,  endless  mountains,  and  we  dragged 
ourselves  to  our  numbed  feet,  ate  some  of  our  remaining 
food,  and  started  onwards.  Now  we  could  no  longer 
see  the  country  beneath,  for  it  and  even  the  towering 
volcano  were  hidden  from  us  by  an  intervening  ridge 
that  seemed  to  be  pierced  by  a  single  narrow  gulley, 
towards  which  we  headed.  Indeed,  as  the  pillars  showed 
us,  thither  ran  the  buried  road.  By  mid-day  it  appeared 
quite  close  to  us,  and  we  tramped  on  in  feverish  haste.  As 
it  chanced,  however,  there  was  no  need  to  hurry,  for  an 
hour  later  we  learned  the  truth. 

Between  us  and  the  mouth  of  the  gulley  rose,  or  rather 
sank,  a  sheer  precipice  that  was  apparently  three  or  four 
hundred  feet  in  depth,  and  at  its  foot  we  could  hear  the 
sound  of  water. 

Right  to  the  edge  of  this  precipice  ran  the  path,  for  one 
of  the  stone  pillars  stood  upon  its  extreme  brink,  and  yet 
how  could  a  road  descend  such  a  place  as  that?  We 
stared  aghast ;  then  a  possible  solution  occurred  to  us. 

"  Don't  you  see,"  said  Leo,  with  a  hollow  laugh,  "  the 
gulf  has  opened  since  this  track  was  used :  volcanic  action 
probably." 

"  Perhaps,  or  perhaps  there  was  a  wooden  bridge  or 


66  AYESHA 

stairway  which  has  rotted.  It  does  not  matter.  We 
must  find  another  path,  that  is  all,"  I  answered  as  cheer 
fully  as  I  could. 

"  Yes,  and  soon,"  he  said,  "  if  we  do  not  wish  to  stop 
here  for  ever." 

So  we  turned  to  the  right  and  marched  along  the  edge 
of  the  precipice  till,  a  mile  or  so  away,  we  came  to  a 
small  glacier,  of  which  the  surface  was  sprinkled  with 
large  stones  frozen  into  its  substance.  This  glacier  hung 
down  the  face  of  the  cliff  like  a  petrified  waterfall,  but 
whether  or  no  it  reached  the  foot  we  could  not  discover. 
At  any  rate,  to  think  of  attempting  its  descent  seemed 
out  of  the  question.  From  this  point  onwards  we  could 
see  that  the  precipice  increased  in  depth  and  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach  was  absolutely  sheer. 

So  we  went  back  again  and  searched  to  the  left  of  our 
road.  Here  the  mountains  receded,  so  that  above  us  rose 
a  mighty,  dazzling  slope  of  snow  and  below  us  lay  that 
same  pitiless,  unclimbable  gulf.  As  the  light  began  to 
fade  we  perceived,  half  a  mile  or  more  in  front  a  bare- 
topped  hillock  of  rock,  which  stood  on  the  verge  of  the 
precipice,  and  hurried  to  it,  thinking  that  from  its  crest 
we  might  be  able  to  discover  a  way  of  descent. 

When  at  length  we  had  struggled  to  the  top,  it  was 
about  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high;  what  we  did  dis 
cover  was  that,  here  also,  as  beyond  the  glacier,  the  gulf 
was  infinitely  deeper  than  at  the  spot  where  the  road 
ended,  so  deep  indeed  that  we  could  not  see  its  bottom, 
although  from  it  came  the  sound  of  roaring  water.  More 
over,  it  was  quite  half  a  mile  in  width. 

Whilst  we  stared  round  us  the  sinking  sun  vanished 
behind  a  mountain  and,  the  sky  being  heavy,  the  light 
went  out  like  that  of  a  candle.  Now  the  ascent  of  this 
hillock  had  proved  so  steep,  especially  at  one  place,  where 
we  were  obliged  to  climb  a  sort  of  rock  ladder,  that  we 
scarcely  cared  to  attempt  to  struggle  down  it  again  in  that 
gloom.  Therefore,  remembering  that  there  was  little  to 


THE   AVALANCHE  67 

choose  between  the  top  of  this  knoll  and  the  snow  plain 
at  its  foot  in  the  matter  of  temperature  or  other  con 
veniences,  and  being  quite  exhausted,  we  determined  to 
spend  the  night  upon  it,  thereby,  as  we  were  to  learn, 
saving  our  lives. 

Unloading  the  yak,  we  pitched  our  tent  under  the  lee 
of  the  topmost  knob  of  rock  and  ate  a  couple  of  handfuls 
of  dried  fish  and  corn-cake.  This  was  the  last  of  the 
food  that  we  had  brought  with  us  from  the  Lamasery, 
and  we  reflected  with  dismay  that  unless  we  could  shoot 
something,  our  commissariat  was  now  represented  by 
the  carcass  of  our  old  friend  the  yak.  Then  we  wrapped 
ourselves  up  in  our  thick  rugs  and  fur  garments  and  for 
got  our  miseries  in  sleep. 

It  cannot  have  been  long  before  daylight  when  we  were 
awakened  by  a  sudden  and  terrific  sound  like  the  boom  of 
a  great  cannon,  followed  by  thousands  of  other  sounds, 
which  might  be  compared  to  the  fusillade  of  musketry. 

"  Great  Heaven !    What  is  that  ?  "  I  said. 

We  crawled  from  the  tent,  but  as  yet  could  see  noth 
ing,  whilst  the  yak  began  to  low  in  a  terrified  manner. 
But  if  we  could  not  see  we  could  hear  and  feel.  The 
booming  and  cracking  had  ceased,  and  was  followed  by 
a  soft,  grinding  noise,  the  most  sickening  sound,  I  think, 
to  which  I  ever  listened.  This  was  accompanied  by  a 
strange,  steady,  unnatural  wind,  which  seemed  to  press 
upon  us  as  water  presses.  Then  the  dawn  broke  and  we 
saw. 

The  mountain-side  was  moving  down  upon  us  in  a  vast 
avalanche  of  snow. 

Oh !  what  a  sight  was  that.  On  from  the  crest  of  the 
precipitous  slopes  above,  two  miles  and  more  away,  it 
came,  a  living  thing,  rolling,  sliding,  gliding;  piling  itself 
in  long,  leaping  waves,  hollowing  itself  into  cavernous 
valleys,  like  a  tempest-driven  sea,  whilst  above  its  surface 
hung  a  powdery  cloud  of  frozen  spray. 

As  we  watched,  clinging  to  each  other  terrified,  the  first 


68  'AYESHA 

of  these  waves  struck  our  hill,  causing  the  mighty  mass 
of  solid  rock  to  quiver  like  a  yacht  beneath  the  impact  of 
an  ocean  roller,  or  an  aspen  in  a  sudden  rush  of  wind.  It 
struck  and  slowly  separated,  then  with  a  majestic  motion 
flowed  like  water  over  the  edge  of  the  precipice  on  either 
side,  and  fell  with  a  thudding  sound  into  the  unmeasured 
depths  beneath.  And  this  was  but  a  little  thing,  a  mere 
forerunner,  for  after  it,  with  a  slow,  serpentine  movement, 
rolled  the  body  of  the  avalanche. 

It  came  in  combers,  it  came  in  level  floods.  It  piled 
itself  against  our  hill,  yes,  to  within  fifty  feet  of  the  head 
of  it,  till  we  thought  that  even  that  rooted  rock  must  be 
torn  from  its  foundations  and  hurled  like  a  pebble  to  the 
deeps  beneath.  And  the  turmoil  of  it  all !  The  screaming 
of  the  blast  caused  by  the  compression  of  the  air,  the1 
dull,  continuous  thudding  of  the  fall  of  millions  of  tons  of 
snow  as  they  rushed  through  space  and  ended  their  jour 
ney  in  the  gulf. 

Nor  was  this  the  worst  of  it,  for  as  the  deep  snows 
above  thinned,  great  boulders  that  had  been  buried  beneath 
them.,  perhaps  for  centuries,  were  loosened  from  their 
resting-places  and  began  to  thunder  down  the  hill.  At 
first  they  moved  slowly,  throwing  up  the  hard  snow 
around  them  as  the  prow  of  a  ship  throws  foam.  Then 
gathering  momentum,  they  sprang  into  the  air  with  leaps 
such  as  those  of  shells  ricocheting  upon  water,  till  in  the 
end,  singing  and  hurtling,  many  of  them  rushed  past  and 
even  over  us  to  vanish  far  beyond.  Some  indeed  struck 
our  little  mountain  with  the  force  of  shot  fired  from  the 
great  guns  of  a  battle-ship,  and  shattered  there,  or  if  they 
fell  upon  its  side,  tore  away  tons  of  rock  and  passed  with 
them  into  the  chasm  like  a  meteor  surrounded  by  its  satel 
lites.  Indeed,  no  bombardment  devised  and  directed  by 
man  eould  have  been  half  so  terrible  or,  had  there  been 
anything  to  destroy,  half  so  destructive. 

The  scene  was  appalling  in  its  unchained  and  resistless 
might  evolved  suddenly  from  the  completest  calm.  There 


THE   AVALANCHE  69 

in  the  lap  of  the  quiet  mountains,  looked  down  upon  by 
the  peaceful,  tender  sky,  the  powers  hidden  in  the  breast 
of  Nature  were  suddenly  set  free,  and,  companioned  by 
whirlwinds  and  all  the  terrifying  majesty  of  sound,  loosed 
upon  the  heads  of  us  two  human  atoms. 

At  the  first  rush  of  snow  we  had  leapt  back  behind  our 
protecting  peak  and,  lying  at  full  length  upon  the  ground, 
gripped  it  and  clung  there,  fearing  lest  the  wind  should 
whirl  us  to  the  abyss.  Long  ago  our  tent  had  gone  like  a 
dead  leaf  in  an  autumn  gale,  and  at  times  it  seemed  as  if 
we  must  follow. 

The  boulders  hurtled  over  and  past  us;  one  of  them 
fell  full  upon  the  little  peak,  shattering  its  crest  and  burst 
ing  into  fragments,  which  fled  away,  each  singing  its  own 
wild  song.  We  were  not  touched,  but  when  we  looked 
behind  us  it  was  to  see  the  yak,  which  had  risen  in  its 
terror,  lying  dead  and  headless.  Then  in  our  fear  we  lay 
still,  waiting  for  the  end,  and  wondering  dimly  whether 
we  should  be  buried  in  the  surging  snow  or  swept  away 
with  the  hill,  or  crushed  by  the  flying  rocks,  or  lifted  and 
lost  in  the  hurricane. 

How  long  did  it  last  ?  We  never  knew.  It  may  have 
been  ten  minutes  or  two  hours,  for  in  such  a  scene  time 
loses  its  proportion".  Only  we  became  aware  that  the 
wind  had  fallen,  w  le  the  noise  of  grinding  snow  and 
hurtling  boulders  a  sed.  Very  cautiously  we  gained  our 
feet  and  looked. 

In  front  of  us  tl  *  sheer  mountain  side,  for  a  depth  of 
over  two  miles,  fr  the  width  of  about  a  thousand  yards, 
which  had  been  co .  ered  with  many  feet  of  snow,  was  now 
bare  rock.  Piled  up  against  the  face  of  our  hill,  almost 
to  its  summit,  lay  a  tongue  of  snow,  pressed  to  the  con 
sistency  of  ice  and  spotted  with  boulders  that  had  lodged 
there.  The  peak  itself  was  torn  and  shattered,  so  that  it 
revealed  great  gleaming  surfaces  and  pits,  in  which  glit 
tered  mica,  or  some  other  mineral.  The  vast  gulf  behind 
was  half  filled  with  the  avalanche  and  its  debris.  But  for 
the  rest,  it  seemed  as  though  nothing  had  happened,  for 


70  AYES  HA 

the  sun  shone  sweetly  overhead  and  the  solemn  snows  re 
flected  its  rays  from  the  sides  of  a  hundred  hills.  And  we 
had  endured  it  all  and  were  still  alive ;  yes,  and  unhurt. 

But  what  a  position  was  ours !  We  dared  not  attempt 
to  descend  the  mount,  lest  we  should  sink  into  the  loose 
snow  and  be  buried  there.  Moreover,  all  along  the  breadth 
of  the  path  of  the  avalanche  boulders  from  time  to  time 
still  thundered  down  the  rocky  slope,  and  with  them 
came  patches  of  snow  that  had  been  left  behind  by  the  big 
slide,  small  in  themselves,  it  is  true,  but  each  of  them  large 
enough  to  kill  a  hundred  men.  It  was  obvious,  therefore, 
that  until  these  conditions  changed,  or  death  released  us, 
we  must  abide  where  we  were  upon  the  crest  of  the 
hillock. 

So  there  we  sat,  foodless  and  frightened,  wondering 
what  our  old  friend  Kou-en  would  say  if  he  could  see  us 
now.  By  degrees  hunger  mastered  all  our  other  sensa 
tions  and  we  began  to  turn  longing  eyes  upon  the  headless 
body  of  the  yak. 

"  Let's  skin  him,"  said  Leo,  "  it  will  be  something  to  do, 
and  we  shall  want  his  hide  to-night/' 

So  with  affection,  and  even  reverence,  we  performed 
this  office  for  the  dead  companion  of  our  journeyings,  re 
joicing  the  while  that  it  was  not  we  who  had  brought  him 
to  his  end.  Indeed,  long  residence  among  peoples  who 
believed  fully  that  the  souls  of  men  could  pass  into,  or 
were  risen  from,  the  bodies  of  animals,  had  made  us  a 
little  superstitious  on  this  matter.  It  would  be  scarcely 
pleasant,  we  reflected,  in  some  future  incarnation,  to  find 
our  faithful  friend  clad  in  human  form  and  to  hear  him 
bitterly  reproach  us  for  his  murder. 

Being  dead,  however,  these  arguments  did  not  apply 
to  eating  him,  as  we  were  sure  he  would  himself  acknowl 
edge.  So  we  cut  off  little  bits  of  his  flesh  and,  rolling 
them  in  snow  till  they  looked  as  though  they  were  nicely 
floured,  hunger  compelling  us,  swallowed  them  at  a  gulp. 
It  was  a  disgusting  meal  and  we  felt  like  cannibals :  but 
what  could  we  do  ? 


CHAPTER   V 

THE   GLACIER 

EVEN  that  day  came  to  an  end  at  last,  and  after  a  few 
more  lumps  of  yak,  our  tent  being  gone,  we  drew  his 
hide  over  us  and  rested  as  best  we  could,  knowing  that 
at  least  we  had  no  more  avalanches  to  fear.  That  night 
it  froze  sharply,  so  that  had  it  not  been  for  the  yak's  hide 
and  the  other  rugs  and  garments,  which  fortunately  we 
were  wearing  when  the  snow-slide  began,  it  would,  I 
think,  have  gone  hard  with  us.  As  it  was,  we  suffered 
a  great  deal. 

"  Horace,"  said  Leo  at  the  dawn,  "  I  am  going  to  leave 
this.  If  we  have  to  die,  I  would  rather  do  so  moving; 
but  I  don't  believe  that  we  shall  die." 

"  Very  well,"  I  said,  "  let  us  start.  If  the  snow  won't 
bear  us  now,  it  never  will." 

So  we  tied  up  our  rugs  and  the  yak's  hide  in  two  bun 
dles  and,  having  cut  off  some  more  of  the  frozen  meat, 
began  our  descent.  Now,  although  the  mount  was  under 
two  hundred  feet  high,  its  base,  fortunately  for  us — for 
otherwise  it  must  have  been  swept  away  by  the  mighty 
pressure  of  the  avalanche — was  broad,  so  that  there  was 
a  long  expanse  of  piled-up  snow  between  us  and  the  level 
ground. 

Since,  owing  to  the  overhanging  conformation  of  the 
place,  it  was  quite  impossible  for  us  to  descend  in  front 
where  pressure  had  made  the  snow  hard  as  stone,  we 
were  obliged  to  risk  a  march  over  the  looser  material 
upon  its  flank.  As  there  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by 
waiting,  off  we  went,  Leo  leading  and  step  by  step  trying 


72  A  YES  HA 

the  snow.  To  our  joy  we  discovered  that  the  sharp  night 
frost  had  so  hardened  its  surface  that  it  would  support  us. 
About  half  way  down,  however,  where  the  pressure  had 
been  less,  it  became  much  softer,  so  that  we  were  forced 
to  lie  upon  our  faces,  which  enabled  us  to  distribute  our 
weight  over  a  larger  surface,  and  thus  slither  gently  down 
the  hill. 

All  went  well  until  we  were  within  twenty  paces  of  the 
bottom,  where  we  must  cross  a  soft  mound  formed  of 
the  powdery  dust  thrown  off  by  the  avalanche  in  its  rush. 
Leo  slipped  over  safely,  but  I,  following  a  yard  or  two  to 
his  right,  of  a  sudden  felt  the  hard  crust  yield  beneath  me. 
An  ill-judged  but  quite  natural  flounder  and  wriggle, 
such  as  a  newly-landed  flat-fish  gives  upon  the  sand,  com 
pleted  the  mischief,  and  with  one  piercing  but  swiftly 
stifled  yell,  I  vanished. 

Any  one  who  has  ever  sunk  in  deep  water  will  know 
that  the  sensation  is  not  pleasant,  but  I  can  assure  him 
that  to  go  through  the  same  experience  in  soft  snow  is 
infinitely  worse;  mud  alone  could  surpass  its  terrors. 
Down  I  went,  and  down,  till  at  length  I  seemed  to  reach 
a  rock  which  alone  saved  me  from  disappearing  for  ever. 
Now  I  felt  the  snow  closing  above  me  and  with  it  came 
darkness  and  a  sense  of  suffocation.  So  soft  was  the 
drift,  however,  that  before  I  was  overcome  I  contrived 
with  my  arms  to  thrust  away  the  powdery  dust  from 
about  my  head,  thus  forming  a  little  hollow  into  which 
air  filtered  slowly.  Getting  my  hands  upon  the  stone,  I 
strove  to  rise,  but  could  not,  the  weight  upon  me  was  too 
great. 

Then  I  abandoned  hope  and  prepared  to  die.  The  process 
proved  not  altogether  unpleasant.  I  did  not  see  visions 
from  my  past  life  as  drowning  men  are  supposed  to  do, 
but — and  this  shows  how  strong  was  her  empire  over  me — 
my  mind  flew  back  to  Ayesha.  I  seemed  to  behold  her 
and  a  man  at  her  side,  standing  over  me  in  some  dark, 
rocky  gulf.  She  was  wrapped  in  a  long  travelling  cloak, 


THE    GLACIER  73 

and  her  lovely  eyes  were  wild  with  fear.  I  rose  to  salute 
her,  and  make  report,  but  she  cried  in  a  fierce,  concen 
trated  voice — 

"  What  evil  thing  has  happened  here  ?  Thou  livest  ; 
then  where  is  my  lord  Leo  ?  Speak,  man,  and  say  where 
thou  hast  hid  my  lord — or  die." 

The  vision  was  extraordinarily  real  and  vivid,  I  re 
member,  and,  considered  in  connection  with  a  certain  sub 
sequent  event,  in  all  ways  most  remarkable,  but  it  passed 
as  swiftly  as  it  came. 

Then  my  senses  left  me. 

I  saw  a  light  again.  I  heard  a  voice,  that  of  Leo! 
"  Horace/'  he  cried,  "  Horace,  hold  fast  to  the  stock  of 
the  rifle."  Something  was  thrust  against  my  outstretched 
hand.  I  gripped  it  despairingly,  and  there  came  a  strain. 
It  was  useless,  I  did  not  move.  Then,  bethinking  me,  I 
drew  up  my  legs  and  by  chance  or  the  mercy  of  Heaven, 
I  know  not,  got  my  feet  against  a  ridge  of  the  rock  on 
which  I  was  lying.  Again  I  felt  the  strain,  and  thrust 
with  all  my  might.  Of  a  sudden  the  snow  gave,  and  out 
of  that  hole  I  shot  like  a  fox  from  its  earth. 

I  struck  something.  It  was  Leo  straining  at  the  gun, 
and  I  knocked  him  backwards.  Then  down  the  steep 
slope  we  rolled,  landing  at  length  upon  the  very  edge  of 
the  precipice.  I  sat  up,  drawing  in  the  air  with  great 
gasps,  and  oh !  how  sweet  it  was.  My  eyes  fell  upon  my 
hand,  and  I  saw  that  the  veins  stood  out  on  the  back  of  it, 
black  as  ink  and  large  as  cords.  Clearly  I  must  have  been 
near  my  end. 

"  How  long  was  I  in  there  ?  "  I  gasped  to  Leo,  who 
sat  at  my  side,  wiping  off  the  sweat  that  ran  from  his 
face  in  streams. 

"  Don't  know.  Nearly  twenty  minutes,  I  should 
think." 

:'  Twenty  minutes !  It  seemed  like  twenty  centuries. 
How  did  you  get  me  out  ?  You  could  not  stand  upon  the 
drift  dust." 


74  A  YES  HA 

"  No :  I  lay  upon  the  yak  skin  where  the  snow  was 
harder  and  tunnelled  towards  you  through  the  powdery 
stuff  with  my  hands,  for  I  knew  where  you  had  sunk  and 
it  was  not  far  off.  At  last  I  saw  your  finger  tips;  they 
were  so  blue  that  for  a  few  seconds  I  took  them  for  rock, 
but  thrust  the  butt  of  the  rifle  against  them.  Luckily 
you  still  had  life  enough  to  catch  hold  of  it,  and  you  know 
the  rest.  Were  we  not  both  very  strong,  it  could  never 
have  been  done." 

"  Thank  you,  old  fellow,"  I  said  simply. 

"  Why  should  you  thank  me  ?  "  he  asked  with  one  of  his 
quick  smiles.  "  Do  you  suppose  that  I  wished  to  con 
tinue  this  journey  alone?  Come,  if  you  have  got  your 
breath,  let  us  be  getting  on.  You  have  been  sleeping  in  a 
cold  bed  and  want  exercise.  Look,  my  rifle  is  broken  and 
yours  is  lost  in  the  snow.  Well,  it  will  save  us  the  trouble 
of  carrying  the  cartridges,"  and  he  laughed  drearily. 

Then  we  began  our  march,  heading  for  the  spot  where 
the  road  ended  four  miles  or  so  away,  for  to  go  forward 
seemed  useless.  In  due  course  we  reached  it  safely.  Once 
a  mass  of  snow  as  large  as  a  church  swept  down  just  in 
front  of  us,  and  once  a  great  boulder  loosened  from  the 
mountain  rushed  at  us  suddenly  like  an  attacking  lion,  or 
the  stones  thrown  by  Polyphemus  at  the  ship  of  Odys 
seus,  and,  leaping  over  our  heads,  vanished  with  an  angry 
scream  into  the  depths  beneath.  But  we  took  little  heed 
of  these  things :  our  nerves  were  deadened,  and  no  danger 
seemed  to  affect  them. 

There  was  the  end  of  the  road,  and  there  were  our 
own  footprints  and  the  impress  of  the  yak's  hoofs  in  the 
snow.  The  sight  of  them  affected  me,  for  it  seemed 
strange  that  we  should  have  lived  to  look  upon  them 
again.  We  stared  over  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  Yes,  it 
was  sheer  and  absolutely  unclimbable. 

"  Come  to  the  glacier,"  said  Leo. 

So  we  went  on  to  it,  and  scrambling  a  little  way  down 
its  root,  made  an  examination.  Here,  so  far  as  we  could 


THE    GLACIER  75, 

judge,  the  cliff  was  about  four  hundred  feet  deep.  But 
whether  or  no  the  tongue  of  ice  reached  to  the  foot  of  it 
we  were  unable  to  tell,  since  about  two  thirds  of  the  way 
down  it  arched  inwards,  like  the  end  of  a  bent  bow,  and 
the  conformation  of  the  overhanging  rocks  on  either  side 
was  such  that  we  could  not  see  where  it  terminated.  We 
climbed  back  again  and  sat  down,  and  despair  took  hold 
of  us,  bitter,  black  despair. 

"  What  are  we  to  do  ?  "  I  asked.  "  In  front  of  us 
death.  Behind  us  death,  for  how  can  we  recross  those 
mountains  without  food  or  guns  to  shoot  it  with?  Here 
death,  for  we  must  sit  and  starve.  We  have  striven  and 
failed.  Leo,  our  end  is  at  hand.  Only  a  miracle  can  save 
us." 

"  A  miracle,"  he  answered.  "  Well,  what  was  it  that 
led  us  to  the  top  of  the  mount  so  that  we  were  able  to- 
escape  the  avalanche?  And  what  was  it  which  put  that 
rock  in  your  way  as  you  sank  into  the  bed  of  dust,  and 
gave  me  wit  and  strength  to  dig  you  out  of  your  grave  of 
snow?  And  what  is  it  that  has  preserved  us  through 
seventeen  years  of  dangers  such  as  few  men  have  known 
and  lived?  Some  directing  Power.  Some  Destiny  that 
will  accomplish  itself  in  us.  Why  should  the  Power  cease 
to  guide  ?  Why  should  the  Destiny  be  baulked  at  last  ?  " 

He  paused,  then  added  fiercely,  "  I  tell  you,  Horace, 
that  even  if  we  had  guns,  food,  and  yaks,  I  would  not 
turn  back  upon  our  spoor,  since  to  do  so  would  prove  me 
a  coward  and  unworthy  of  her.  I  will  go  on." 

"How?  "I  asked. 

"  By  that  road,"  and  he  pointed  to  the  glacier. 

"  It  is  a  road  to  death !  " 

"  Well,  if  so,  Horace,  it  would  seem  that  in  this  land 
men  find  life  in  death,  or  so  they  believe.  If  we  die  now, 
we  shall  die  travelling  our  path,  and  in  the  country  where 
we  perish  we  may  be  born  again.  At  least  I  am  deter 
mined,  so  you  must  choose." 

"  I  have  chosen  long  ago.    Leo,  we  began  this  journey 


76  AYES  HA 

together  and  we.  will  end  it  together.  Perhaps  Ayesha 
knows  and  will  help  us,"  and  I  laughed  drearily.  "  If  not 
- — come,  we  are  wasting  time." 

Then  wre  took  counsel,  and  the  end  of  it  was  that  we 
cut  a  skin  rug  and  the  yak's  tough  hide  into  strips  and 
knotted  these  together  into  two  serviceable  ropes,  which 
we  fastened  about  our  middles,  leaving  one  end  loose,  for 
we  thought  that  they  might  help  us  in  our  descent. 

Next  we  bound  fragments  of  another  skin  rug  about 
our  legs  and  knees  to  protect  them  from  the  chafing  of 
the  ice  and  rocks,  and  for  the  same  reason  put  on  our 
thick  leather  gloves.  This  done,  we  took  the  remainder 
of  our  gear  and  heavy  robes  and,  having  placed  stones  in 
them,  threw  them  over  the  brink  of  the  precipice,  trusting 
to  find  them  again,  should  we  ever  reach  its  foot.  Now 
our  preparations  were  complete,  and  it  was  time  for  us 
to  start  upon  perhaps  one  of  the  most  desperate  journeys 
ever  undertaken  by  men  of  their  own  will. 

Yet  we  stayed  a  little,  looking  at  each  other  in  piteous 
fashion,  for  we  could  not  speak.  Only  we  embraced,  and 
I  confess,  I  think  I  wept  a  little.  It  all  seemed  so  sad 
and  hopeless,  these  longings  endured  through  many 
years,  these  perpetual,  weary  travellings,  and  now — the 
end.  I  could  not  bear  to  think  of  that  splendid  man,  my 
ward,  my  most  dear  friend,  the  companion  of  my  life,  who 
stood  before  me  so  full  of  beauty  and  of  vigour,  but  who 
must  within  a  few  short  minutes  be  turned  into  a  heap  of 
quivering,  mangled  flesh.  For  myself  it  did  not  matter. 
I  was  old,  it  was  time  that  I  should  die.  I  had  lived  inno 
cently,  if  it  were  innocent  to  follow  this  lovely  image,  this 
Siren  of  the  caves,  who  lured  us  on  to  doom. 

No,  I  don't  think  that  I  thought  of  myself  then,  but  I 
thought  a  great  deal  of  Leo,  and  when  I  saw  his  deter 
mined  face  and  flashing  eyes  as  he  nerved  himself  to  the 
last  endeavour,  I  was  proud  of  him.  So  in  broken  ac 
cents  I  blessed  him  and  wished  him  well  through  all  the 
zeons,  praying  that  I  might  be  his  companion  to  the  end 


THE    GLACIER  77 

of  time.  In  few  words  and  short  he  thanked  me  and  gave 
me  back  my  blessing.  Then  he  muttered — 

"  Come." 

So  side  by  side  we  began  the  terrible  descent.  At  first 
it  was  easy  enough,  although  a  slip  would  have  hurled  us 
to  eternity.  But  we  were  strong  and  skilful,  accustomed 
to  such  places  moreover,  and  made  none.  About  a  quar 
ter  of  the  way  down  we  paused,  standing  upon  a  great 
boulder  that  was  embedded  in  the  ice,  and,  turning  round 
cautiously,  leaned  our  backs  against  the  glacier  and  looked 
about  us.  Truly  it  was  a  horrible  place,  almost  sheer,  nor 
did  we  learn  much,  for  beneath  us,  a  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  or  more,  the  projecting  bend  cut  off  our  view  of 
what  lay  below. 

So,  feeling  that  our  nerves  would  not  bear  a  prolonged 
contemplation  of  that  dizzy  gulf,  once  more  we  set  our 
faces  to  the  ice  and  proceeded  on  the  downward  climb. 
Now  matters  were  more  difficult,  for  the  stones  were 
fewer  and  once  or  twice  we  must  slide  to  reach  them,  not 
knowing  if  we  should  ever  stop  again.  But  the  ropes 
which  we  threw  over  the  angles  of  the  rocks,  or  salient 
points  of  ice,  letting  ourselves  down  by  their  help  and 
drawing  them  after  us  when  we  reached  the  next  foot 
hold,  saved  us  from  disaster. 

Thus  at  length  we  came  to  the  bend,  which  was  more 
than  half  way  down  the  precipice,  being,  so  far  as  I 
could  judge,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  its 
lip,  and  say  one  hundred  and  fifty  from  the  darksome 
bottom  of  the  narrow  gulf.  Here  were  no  stones,  but 
only  some  rough  ice,  on  which  we  sat  to  rest. 

"  We  must  look,"  said  Leo  presently. 

But  the  question  was,  how  to  do  this.  Indeed,  there 
was  only  one  way,  to  hang  over  the  bend  and  discover 
what  lay  below.  We  read  each  other's  thought  without 
the  need  of  words,  and  I  made  a  motion  as  though  I 
would  start. 

"  No,"  said  Leo,  "  I  am  younger  and  stronger  than 


78  'AYES  HA 

you.  Come,  help  me/7  and  he  began  to  fasten  the  end 
of  his  rope  to  a  strong,  projecting  point  of  ice.  "  Now," 
he  said,  "  hold  my  ankles." 

It  seemed  an  insanity,  but  there  was  nothing  else  to 
be  done,  so,  fixing  my  heels  in  a  niche,  I  grasped  them 
and  slowly  he  slid  forward  till  his  body  vanished  to  the 
middle.  What  he  saw  does  not  matter,  for  I  saw  it  all 
afterwards,  but  what  happened  was  that  suddenly  all 
his  great  weight  came  upon  my  arms  with  such  a  jerk 
that  his  ankles  were  torn  from  my  grip. 

Or,  who  knows!  perhaps  in  my  terror  I  loosed  them, 
obeying  the  natural  impulse  which  prompts  a  man  to  save 
his  own  life.  If  so,  may  I  be  forgiven,  but  had  I  held 
on,  I  must  have  been  jerked  into  the  abyss.  Then  the  rope 
ran  out  and  remained  taut. 

"  Leo !  "  I  screamed,  "  Leo ! "  and  I  heard  a  muffled 
voice  saying,  as  I  thought,  "  Come."  What  it  really  said 
was — "  Don't  come."  But  indeed — and  may  it  go  to  my 
credit — I  did  not  pause  to  think,  but  face  outwards,  just 
as  I  was  sitting,  began  to  slide  and  scramble  down  the 
ice. 

In  two  seconds  I  had  reached  the  curve,  in  three  I  was 
over  it.  Beneath  was  what  I  can  only  describe  as  a  great 
icicle  broken  off  short,  and  separated  from  the  cliff  by 
about  four  yards  of  space.  This  icicle  was  not  more  than 
fifteen  feet  in  length  and  sloped  outwards,  so  that  my 
descent  was  not  sheer.  Moreover,  at  the  end  of  it  the 
trickling  of  water,  or  some  such  accident,  had  worn  away 
the  ice,  leaving  a  little  ledge  as  broad,  perhaps,  as  a  man's 
hand.  There  were  roughnesses  on  the  surface  below  the 
curve,  upon  which  my  clothing  caught,  also  I  gripped 
them  desperately  with  my  fingers.  Thus  it  came  about 
that  I  slid  down  quite  gently  and,  my  heels  landing  upon 
the  little  ledge,  remained  almost  upright,  with  out 
stretched  arms — like  a  person  crucified  to  a  cross  of  ice. 

Then  I  saw  everything,  and  the  sight  curdled  the  blood 
within  my  veins.  Hanging  to  the  rope,  four  or  five  feet 


THE    GLACIER  79 

below  the  broken  point,  was  Leo,  out  of  reach  of  it,  and 
out  of  reach  of  the  cliff ;  as  he  hung  turning  slowly  round 
and  round,  much  as — for  in  a  dreadful,  inconsequent 
fashion  the  absurd  similarity  struck  me  even  then — a 
joint  turns  before  the  fire.  Below  yawned  the  black  gulf, 
and  at  the  bottom  of  it,  far,  far  beneath,  appeared  a  faint, 
white  sheet  of  snow.  That  is  what  I  saw. 

Think  of  it!  Think  of  it!  I  crucified  upon  the  ice, 
my  heels  resting  upon  a  little  ledge ;  my  fingers  grasping 
excrescences  on  which  a  bird  could  scarcely  have  found  a 
foothold;  round  and  below  me  dizzy  space.  To  climb 
back  whence  I  came  was  impossible,  to  stir  even  was  im 
possible,  since  one  slip  and  I  must  be  gone. 

And  below  me,  hung  like  a  spider  to  its  cord,  Leo  turn 
ing  slowly  round  and  round ! 

I  could  see  that  rope  of  green  hide  stretch  beneath  his 
weight  and  the  double  knots  in  it  slip  and  tighten,  and  I 
remember  wondering  which  would  give  first,  the  hide  or 
the  knots,  or  whether  it  would  hold  till  he  dropped  from 
the  noose  limb  by  limb. 

Oh!  I  have  been  in  many  a  perilous  place,  I  who 
sprang  from  the  Spraying  Stone  to  the  point  of  the 
Trembling  Spur,  and  missed  my  aim,  but  never,  never 
in  such  a  one  as  this.  Agony  took  hold  of  me;  a  cold 
sweat  burst  from  every  pore.  I  could  feel  it  running 
down  my  face  like  tears ;  my  hair  bristled  upon  my  head. 
And  below,  in  utter  silence,  Leo  turned  round  and  round, 
and  each  time  he  turned  his  up-cast  eyes  met  mine  with  a 
look  that  was  horrible  to  see. 

The  silence  was  the  worst  of  it,  the  silence  and  the 
helplessness.  If  he  had  cried  out,  if  he  had  struggled, 
it  would  have  been  better.  But  to  know  that  he  was  alive 
there,  with  every  nerve  and  perception  at  its  utmost 
stretch.  Oh !  my  God  !  Oh  !  my  God ! 

My  limbs  began  to  ache,  and  yet  I  dared  not  stir  a 
muscle.  They  ached  horribly,  or  so  I  thought,  and  be 
neath  this  torture,  mental  and  physical,  my  mind  gave. 


8o  AYES  HA 

I  remembered  things:  remembered  how,  as  a  child,  I 
had  climbed  a  tree  and  reached  a  place  whence  I  could 
move  neither  up  nor  down,  and  what  I  suffered  then.  Re 
membered  how  once  in  Egypt  a  foolhardy  friend  of  mine 
had  ascended  the  Second  Pyramid  alone,  and  become  thus 
crucified  upon  its  shining  cap,  where  he  remained  for  a 
whole  half  hour  with  four  hundred  feet  of  space  beneath 
him.  I  could  see  him  now  stretching  his  stockinged  foot 
downwards  in  a  vain  attempt  to  reach  the  next  crack,  and 
drawing  it  back  again ;  could  see  his  tortured  face,  a  white 
blot  upon  the  red  granite. 

Then  that  face  vanished  and  blackness  gathered  round 
me,  and  in  the  blackness  visions :  of  the  living,  resistless 
avalanche,  of  the  snow-grave  into  which  I  had  sunk — oh ! 
years  and  years  ago ;  of  Ayesha  demanding  Leo's  life  at 
my  hands.  Blackness  and  silence,  through  which  I  could 
only  hear  the  cracking  of  my  muscles. 

Suddenly  in  the  blackness  a  flash,  and  in  the  silence  a 
sound.  The  flash  was  the  flash  of  a  knife  which  Leo  had 
drawn.  He  was  hacking  at  the  cord  with  it  fiercely, 
fiercely,  to  make  an  end.  And  the  sound  was  that  of  the 
noise  he  made,  a  ghastly  noise,  half  shout  of  defiance  and 
half  yell  of  terror,  as  at  the  third  stroke  it  parted. 

I  saw  it  part.  The  tough  hide  was  half  cut  through, 
and  its  severed  portion  curled  upwards  and  downwards 
like  the  upper  and  lower  lips  of  an  angry  dog,  whilst 
that  which  was  unsevered  stretched  out  slowly,  slowly, 
till  it  grew  quite  thin.  Then  it  snapped,  so  that  the  rope 
flew  upwards  and  struck  me  across  the  face  like  the  lash 
of  a  whip. 

Another  instant  and  I  heard  a  crackling,  thudding 
sound.  Leo  had  struck  the  ground  below.  Leo  was 
dead,  a  mangled  mass  of  flesh  and  bone  as  I  had  pictured 
him.  I  could  not  bear  it.  My  nerve  and  human  dignity 
came  back.  I  would  not  wait  until,  my  strength  ex 
hausted,  I  slid  from  my  perch  as  a  wounded  bird  falls 


THE    GLACIER  81 

from  a  tree.  No,  I  would  follow  him  at  once,  of  my  own 
act. 

I  let  my  arms  fall  against  my  sides,  and  rejoiced  in 
the  relief  from  pain  that  the  movement  gave  me.  Then 
balanced  upon  my  heels,  I  stood  upright,  took  my  last 
look  at  the  sky,  muttered  my  last  prayer.  For  an  instant 
I  remained  thus  poised. 

Shouting,  "  I  come,"  I  raised  my  hands  above  my  head 
and  dived  as  a  bather  dives,  dived  into  the  black  gulf 
beneath. 


CHAPTER   VI 

IN    THE   GATE 

OH  !  that  rush  through  space !  Folk  falling  thus  are 
supposed  to  lose  consciousness,  but  I  can  assert  that  this 
is  not  true.  Never  were  my  wits  and  perceptions  more 
lively  than  while  I  travelled  from  that  broken  glacier  to 
the  ground,  and  never  did  a  short  journey  seem  to  take 
a  longer  time.  I  saw  the  white  floor,  like  some  living 
thing,  leaping  up  through  empty  air  to  meet  me,  then — 
•finis! 

Crash!  Why,  what  was  this?  I  still  lived.  I  was  in 
water,  for  I  could  feel  its  chill,  and  going  down,  down, 
till  I  thought  I  should  never  rise  again.  But  rise  I  did, 
though  my  lungs  were  nigh  to  bursting  first.  As  I 
floated  up  towards  the  top  I  remembered  the  crash,  which- 
told  me  that  I  had  passed  through  ice.  Therefore  I  should 
meet  ice  at  the  surface  again.  Oh !  to  think  that  after 
surviving  so  much  I  must  be  drowned  like  a  kitten  and 
beneath  a  sheet  of  ice.  My  hands  touched  it.  There  it 
was  above  me  shining  white  like  glass.  Heaven  be 
praised !  My  head  broke  through ;  in  this  low  and  shel 
tered  gorge  it  was  but  a  film  no  thicker  than  a  penny 
formed  by  the  light  frost  of  the  previous  night.  So  I 
rose  from  the  deep  and  stared  about  me,  treading  water 
with  my  feet. 

Then  I  saw  the  gladdest  sight  that  ever  my  eyes  be 
held,  for  on  the  right,  not  ten  yards  away,  the  water  run 
ning  from  his  hair  and  beard,  was  Leo.  Leo  alive,  for  he 
broke  the  thin  ice  with  his  arms  as  he  struggled  towards 

82 


IN    THE    GATE  83 

the  shore  from  the  deep  river.1  He  saw  me  also,  and 
his  grey  eyes  seemed  to  start  out  of  his  head. 

"  Still  living,  both  of  us,  and  the  precipice  passed !  "  he 
shouted  in  a  ringing,  exultant  voice.  "  I  told  you  we 
were  led." 

"Aye,  but  whither?"  I  answered  as  I  too  fought  my 
way  through  the  film  of  ice. 

Then  it  was  I  became  aware  that  we  were  no  longer 
alone,  for  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  some  thirty  yards 
from  us,  stood  two  figures,  a  man  leaning  upon  a  long 
staff  and  a  woman.  He  was  a  very  old  man,  for  his 
eyes  were  horny,  his  snow-white  hair  and  beard  hung 
upon  the  bent  breast  and  shoulders,  and  his  sardonic, 
wrinkled  features  were  yellow  as  wax.  They  might 
have  been  those  of  a  death  mask  cut  in  marble.  There, 
clad  in  an  ample,  monkish  robe,  and  leaning  upon  the 
staff,  he  stood  still  as  a  statue  and  watched  us.  I  noted 
it  all,  every  detail,  although  at  the  time  I  did  not  know 
that  I  was  doing  so,  as  we  broke  our  way  through  the  ice 
towards  them  and  afterwards  the  picture  came  back  to 
me.  Also  I  saw  that  the  woman,  who  was  very  tall, 
pointed  to  us. 

Nearer  the  bank,  or  rather  to  the  rock  edge  of  the 
river,  its  surface  was  free  of  ice,  for  here  the  stream  ran 
very  swiftly.  Seeing  this,  we  drew  close  together  and 
swam  on  side  by  side  to  help  each  other  if  need  were. 
There  was  much  need,  for  in  the  fringe  of  the  torrent 
the  strength  that  had  served  me  so  long  seemed  to  desert 
me,  and  I  became  helpless ;  numbed,  too,  with  the  biting 
coldness  of  the  water.  Indeed,  had  not  Leo  grasped  my 
clothes  I  think  that  I  should  have  been  swept  away  by  the 

1  Usually,  as  we  learned  afterwards,  the  river  at  this  spot  was  quite 
shallow  ;  only  a  foot  or  two  in  depth.  It  was  the  avalanche  that  by 
damming  it  with  fallen  heaps  of  snow  had  raised  its  level  very  many 
feet.  Therefore,  to  this  avalanche,  which  had  threatened  to  destroy 
us,  we  in  reality  owed  our  lives,  for  had  the  stream  stood  only  at  its 
normal  height  we  must  have  been  dashed  to  pieces  upon  the  stones. — 
L.  H.  H. 


84  AYES  HA 

current  to  perish.  Thus  aided  I  fought  on  a  while,  till 
he  said — 

"  I  am  going  under.    Hold  to  the  rope  end." 

So  I  gripped  the  strip  of  yak's  hide  that  was  still  fast 
about  him,  and,  his  hand  thus  freed,  Leo  made  a  last 
splendid  effort  to  keep  us  both,  cumbered  as  we  were 
with  the  thick,  soaked  garments  that  dragged  us  down 
like  lead,  from  being  sucked  beneath  the  surface.  More 
over,  he  succeeded  where  any  other  swimmer  of  less 
strength  must  have  failed.  Still,  I  believe  that  we  should 
have  drowned,  since  here  the  water  ran  like  a  mill-race, 
had  not  the  man  upon  the  shore,  seeing  our  plight  and 
urged  thereto  by  the  woman,  run  with  surprising  swift 
ness  in  one  so  aged,  to  a  point  of  rock  that  jutted  some 
yards  into  the  stream,  past  which  we  were  being  swept, 
and  seating  himself,  stretched  out  his  long  stick  towards 
us. 

With  a  desperate  endeavour,  Leo  grasped  it  as  we 
went  by,  rolling  over  and  over  each  other,  and  held  on. 
Round  we  swung  into  the  eddy,  found  our  feet,  were 
knocked  down  again,  rubbed  and  pounded  on  the  rocks. 
But  still  gripping  that  staff  of  salvation,  to  his  end  of 
which  the  old  man  clung  like  a  limpet  to  a  stone,  while 
the  woman  clung  to  him,  we  recovered  ourselves,  and, 
sheltered  somewhat  by  the  rock,  floundered  towards  the 
shore.  Lying  on  his  face — for  we  were  still  in  great 
danger — the  man  extended  his  arm.  We  could  not  reach 
it ;  and  worse,  suddenly  the  staff  was  torn  from  him ;  we 
were  being  swept  away. 

Then  it  was  that  the  woman  did  a  noble  thing,  for 
springing  into  the  water — yes,  up  to  -her  armpits — and 
holding  fast  to  the  old  man  by  her  left  hand,  with  the 
right  she  seized  Leo's  hair  and  dragged  him  shorewards. 
Now  he  found  his  feet  for  a  moment,  and  throwing  one 
arm  about  her  slender  form,  steadied  himself  thus,  while 
with  the  othe*-  he  supported  me.  Next  followed  a  long 
confused  struggle,  but  the  end  of  it  was  that  three  of  us, 


IN    THE    GATE  85 

the  old  man,  Leo  and  I,  rolled  in  a  heap  upon  the  bank 
and  lay  there  gasping. 

Presently  I  looked  up.  The  woman  stood  over  us, 
water  streaming  from  her  garments,  staring  like  one  in  a 
dream  at  Leo's  face,  smothered  as  it  was  with  blood  run 
ning  from  a  deep  cut  in  his  head.  Even  then  I  noticed 
how  stately  and  beautiful  she  was.  Now  she  seemed  to 
awake  and,  glancing  at  the  robes  that  clung  to  her  splen 
did  shape,  said  something  to  her  companion,  then  turned 
and  ran  towards  the  cliff. 

As  we  lay  before  him,  utterly  exhausted,  the  old  man, 
who  had  risen,  contemplated  us  solemnly  with  his  dim 
eyes.  He  spoke,  but  we  did  not  understand.  Again  he 
tried  another  language  and  without  success.  A  third 
time  and  our  ears  were  opened,  for  the  tongue  he  used 
was  Greek ;  yes,  there  in  Central  Asia  he  addressed  us  in 
Greek,  not  very  pure,  it  is  true,  but  still  Greek. 

"  Are  you  wizards,"  he  said,  "  that  you  have  lived  to- 
reach  this  land  ?  " 

"  Nay,"  I  answered  in  the  same  tongue,  though  in 
broken  words — since  of  Greek  I  had  thought  little  for 
many  a  year — "  for  then  we  should  have  come  otherwise," 
and  I  pointed  to  our  hurts  and  the  precipice  behind  us. 

'  They  know  the  ancient  speech ;  it  is  as  we  were  told 
from  the  Mountain,"  he  muttered  to  himself.  Then  he 
asked — 

"  Strangers,  what  seek  you  ?  " 

Now  I  grew  cunning  and  did  not  answer,  fearing  lest, 
should  he  learn  the  truth,  he  would  thrust  us  back  into 
the  river.  But  Leo  had  no  such  caution,  or  rather  ail 
reason  had  left  him ;  he  was  light-headed. 

"  We  seek,"  he  stuttered  out — his  Greek,  which  had 
always  been  feeble,  now  was  simply  barbarous  and  mixed 
with  various  Thibetan  dialects — "  we  seek  the  land  of  the 
Fire  Mountain  that  is  crowned  with  the  Sign  of  Life." 

The  man  stared  at  us.  "  So  you  know,"  he  said,  then 
broke  off  and  added,  "  and  whom  do  you  eeek?  " 


86  AYES  HA 

"  Her,"  answered  Leo  wildly,  "  the  Queen."  I  think 
that  he  meant  to  say  the  priestess,  or  the  goddess,  but 
could  only  think  of  the  Greek  for  Queen,  or  rather  tome- 
thing  resembling  it.  Or  perhaps  it  was  because  the 
woman  who  had  gone  looked  like  a  queen. 

"  Oh !  "  said  the  man,  "  you  seek  a  queen — then  you 
are  those  for  whom  we  were  bidden  to  watch.  Nay,  how 
can  I  be  sure  ?  " 

"  Is  this  a  time  to  put  questions  ?  "  I  gasped  angrily. 
"  Answer  me  one  rather :  who  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  ?  Strangers,  my  title  is  Guardian  of  the  Gate,  and 
the  lady  who  was  with  me  is  the  Khania  of  Kaloon." 

At  this  point  Leo  began  to  faint. 

"  That  man  is  sick,"  said  the  Guardian,  "  and  now 
that  you  have  got  your  breath  again,  you  must  have  shel 
ter,  both  of  you,  and  at  once.  Come,  help  me." 

So,  supporting  Leo  on  either  side,  we  dragged  our 
selves  away  from  that  accursed  cliff  and  Styx-like  river 
up  a  narrow,  winding  gorge.  Presently  it  opened  out, 
and  there,  stretching  across  the  glade,  we  saw  the  Gate. 
Of  this  all  I  observed  then,  for  my  memory  of  the  details 
of  this  scene  and  of  the  conversation  that  passed  is  very 
weak  and  blurred,  was  that  it  seemed  to  be  a  mighty  wall 
of  rock  in  which  a  pathway  had  been  hollowed  where 
doubtless  once  passed  the  road.  On  one  side  of  this 
passage  was  a  stair,  which  we  began  to  ascend  with  great 
difficulty,  for  Leo  was  now  almost  senseless  and  scarcely 
moved  his  legs.  Indeed  at  the  head  of  the  first  flight  he 
sank  down  in  a  heap,  nor  did  our  strength  suffice  to  lift 
him. 

While  I  wondered  feebly  what  was  to  be  done,  I  heard 
footsteps,  and  looking  up,  saw  the  woman  who  had  saved 
him  descending  the  stair,  and  after  her  two  robed  men 
with  a  Tartar  cast  of  countenance,  very  impassive ;  small 
eyes  and  yellowish  skin.  Even  the  sight  of  us  did  not  ap 
pear  to  move  them  to  astonishment.  She  spoke  some 
words  to  them,  whereon  they  lifted  Leo's  heavy  frame, 
apparently  with  ease,  and  carried  him  up  the  steps. 


IN    THE    GATE  87 

We  followed,  and  reached  a  room  that  seemed  to  be 
hewn  from  the  rock  above  the  gateway,  where  the  woman 
called  Khania  left  us.  From  it  we  passed  through  other 
rooms,  one  of  them  a  kind  of  kitchen,  in  which  a  fire 
burned,  till  we  came  to  a  large  chamber,  evidently  a  sleep 
ing  place,  for  in  it  were  wooden  bedsteads,  mattresses  and 
rugs.  Here  Leo  was  laid  down,  and  with  the  assistance 
of  one  of  his  servants,  the  old  Guardian  undressed  him, 
at  the  same  time  motioning  me  to  take  off  my  own  gar 
ments.  This  I  did  gladly  enough  for  the  first  time  during 
many  days,  though  with  great  pain  and  difficulty,  to  find 
that  I  was  a  mass  of  wounds  and  bruises. 

Presently  our  host  blew  upon  a  whistle,  and  the  other 
servant  appeared  bringing  hot  water  in  a  jar,  with  which 
we  were  washed  over.  Then  the  Guardian  dressed  our 
hurts  with  some  soothing  ointment,  and  wrapped  us  round 
with  blankets.  After  this  broth  was  brought,  into  which 
he  mixed  medicine,  and  giving  me  a  portion  to  drink 
where  I  lay  upon  one  of  the  beds,  he  took  Leo's  head 
upon  his  knee  and  poured  the  rest  of  it  down  his  throat. 
Instantly  a  wonderful  warmth  ran  through  me,  and  my 
aching  brain  began  to  swim.  Then  I  remembered  no 
more. 

After  this  we  were  very,  very  ill.  What  may  be  the 
exact  medical  definition  of  our  sickness  I  do  not  know,  but 
in  effect  it  was  such  as  follows  loss  of  blood,  extreme 
exhaustion  of  body,  paralysing  shock  to  the  nerves  and 
extensive  cuts  and  contusions.  These  taken  together  pro 
duced  a  long  period  of  semi-unconsciousness,  followed  by 
another  period  of  fever  and  delirium.  All  that  I  can  re 
call  of  those  weeks  while  we  remained  the  guests  of  the 
Guardian  of  the  Gate,  may  be  summed  up  in  one  word — 
dreams,  that  is  until  at  last  I  recovered  my  senses. 

The  dreams  themselves  are  forgotten,  which  is  perhaps 
as  well,  since  they  were  very  confused,  and  for  the  most 
part  awful;  a  hotch-potch  of  nightmares,  reflected  with- 


88  AYES  HA 

out  doubt  from  vivid  memories  of  our  recent  and  fear 
some  sufferings.  At  times  I  would  wake  up  from  them  a 
little,  I  suppose  when  food  was  administered  to  me,  and 
receive  impressions  of  whatever  was  passing  in  the  place. 
Thus  I  can  recollect  that  yellow-faced  old  Guardian 
standing  over  me  like  a  ghost  in  the  moonlight,  stroking 
his  long  beard,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  my  face,  as  though 
he  would  search  out  the  secrets  of  my  soul. 

'''  They  are  the  men,"  he  muttered  to  himself,  "  without 
doubt  they  are  the  men,"  then  walked  to  the  window  and 
looked  up  long  and  earnestly,  like  one  who  studies  the 
stars. 

After  this  I  remember  a  disturbance  in  the  room,  and 
dominating  it,  as  it  were,  the  rich  sound  of  a  woman's 
voice  and  the  rustle  of  a  woman's  silks  sweeping  the 
stone  floor.  I  opened  my  eyes  and  saw  that  it  was  she 
who  had  helped  to  rescue  us,  who  had  rescued  us  in  fact, 
a  tall  and  noble-looking  lady  with  a  beauteous,  weary  face 
and  liquid  eyes  which  seemed  to  burn.  From  the  heavy 
cloak  she  wore  I  thought  that  she  must  have  just  returned 
from  a  journey. 

She  stood  above  me  and  looked  at  me,  then  turned 
away  with  a  gesture  of  indifference,  if  not  of  disgust, 
speaking  to  the  Guardian  in  a  low  voice.  By  way  of  answer 
he  bowed,  pointing  to  the  other  bed  where  Leo  lay  asleep, 
and  thither  she  passed  with  slow,  imperious  movements. 
I  saw  her  bend  down  and  lift  the  corner  of  a  wrapping 
which  covered  his  wounded  head,  and  heard  her  utter 
some  smothered  words  before  she  turned  round  to  the 
Guardian  as  though  to  question  him  further. 

But  he  had  gone,  and  being  alone,  for  she  thought  me 
senseless,  she  drew  a  rough  stool  to  the  side  of  the  bed, 
and  seating  herself  studied  Leo,  who  lay  thereon,  with 
an  earnestness  that  was  almost  terrible,  for  her  soul 
seemed  to  be  concentrated  in  her  eyes,  and  to  find  expres 
sion  through  them.  Long  she  gazed  thus,  then  rose 
and  began  to  walk  swiftly  up  and  down  the  chamber,, 


IN    THE    GATE  89 

pressing1  her  hands  now  to  her  bosom  and  now  to  her 
brow,  a  certain  passionate  perplexity  stamped  upon  her 
face,  as  though  she  struggled  to  remember  something 
and  could  not. 

"Where  and  when?"  she  whispered.  "Oh!  where 
and  when  ?  " 

Of  the  end  of  that  scene  I  know  nothing,  for  although 
I  fought  hard  against  it,  oblivion  mastered  me.  After 
this  I  became  aware  that  the  regal-looking  woman  called 
Khania,  was  always  in  the  room,  and  that  she  seemed  to 
be  nursing  Leo  with  great  care  and  tenderness.  Some 
times  even  she  nursed  me  when  Leo  did  not  need  atten 
tion,  and  she  had  nothing  else  to  do,  or  so  her  manner 
seemed  to  suggest.  It  was  as  though  I  excited  her  curi 
osity,  and  she  wished  me  to  recover  that  it  might  be 
satisfied. 

Again  I  awoke,  how  long  afterwards  I  cannot  say.  It 
was  night,  and  the  room  was  lighted  by  the  moon  only, 
now  shining  in  a  clear  sky.  Its  steady  rays  entering  at 
the  window-place  fell  on  Leo's  bed,  and  by  them  I  saw 
that  the  dark,  imperial  woman  was  watching  at  his  side. 
Some  sense  of  her  presence  must  have  communicated 
itself  to  him,  for  he  began  to  mutter  in  his  sleep,  now 
in  English,  now  in  Arabic.  She  became  intensely  inter 
ested;  as  her  every  movement  showed.  Then  rising 
suddenly  she  glided  across  the  room  on  tiptoe  to  look  at 
me.  Seeing  her  coming  I  feigned  to  be  asleep,  and  so 
well  that  she  was  deceived. 

For  I  was  also  interested.  Who  was  this  lady 
whom  the  Guardian  had  called  the  Khania  of  Kaloon? 
Could  it  be  she  whom  we  sought?  Why  not?  And  yet 
if  I  saw  Ayesha,  surely  I  should  know  her,  surely  there 
would  be  no  room  for  doubt. 

Back  she  went  again  to  the  bed,  kneeling  down  beside 
Leo,  and  in  the  intense  silence  which  followed — for  he  had 
Ceased  his  mutterings — I  thought  that  I  could  hear  the 
beating  of  her  heart.  Now  she  began  to  speak,  very  low 


9o  AYES  HA 

and  in  that  same  bastard  Greek  tongue,  mixed  here  and 
there  with  Mongolian  words  such  as  are  common  to  the 
dialects  of  Central  Asia.  I  could  not  hear  or  understand 
all  she  said,  but  some  sentences  I  did  understand,  and 
they  frightened  me  not  a  little. 

"  Man  of  my  dreams,"  she  murmured,  "  whence  come 
you?  Who  are  you?  Why  did  the  Hesea  bid  me  to 
meet  you  ? "  Then  some  sentences  I  could  not  catch. 
"  You  sleep ;  in  sleep  the  eyes  are  opened.  Answer,  I 
bid  you;  say  what  is  the  bond  between  you  and  me? 
Why  have  I  dreamt  of  you?  W^hy  do  I  know  you? 

Why ?  "  and  the  sweet,  rich  voice  died  slowly  from  a 

whisper  into  silence,  as  though  she  were  ashamed  to  utter 
what  was  on  her  tongue. 

As  she  bent  over  him  a  lock  of  her  hair  broke  loose 
from  its  jewelled  fillet  and  fell  across  his  face.  At  its 
touch  Leo  seemed  to  wake,  for  he  lifted  his  gaunt,  white 
hand  and  touched  the  hair,  then  said  in  English — 

"  Where  am  I  ?  Oh !  I  remember ;  "  and  their  eyes 
met  as  he  strove  to  lift  himself  and  could  not.  Then  he 
spoke  again  in  his  broken,  stumbling  Greek,  "  You  are 
the  lady  who  saved  me  from  the  water.  Say,  are  you 
also  that  queen  whom  I  have  sought  so  long  and  endured 
so  much  to  find  ?  " 

"  I  know  not,"  she  answered  in  a  voice  as  sweet  as 
honey,  a  low,  trembling  voice ;  "  but  true  it  is  I  am  a 
queen — if  a  Khania  be  a  queen." 

"  Say,  then,  Queen,  do  you  remember  me  ?  " 

"  We  have  met  in  dreams,"  she  answered,  "  I  think 
that  we  have  met  in  a  past  that  is  far  away.  Yes ;  I  knew 
it  when  first  I  saw  you  there  by  the  river.  Stranger  with 
the  well-remembered  face,  tell  me,  I  pray  you,  how  you 
are  named  ?  " 

"  Leo  Vincey." 

She  shook  her  head,  whispering — 

"  I  know  not  the  name,  yet  you  I  know. 

"  You  know  me !     How  do  you  know  me  ?  "  he  said 


IN    THE    GATE  91 

heavily,  and  seemed  to  sink  again  into  slumber  or  swoon. 

She  watched  him  for  awhile  very  intently.  Then  as 
though  some  force  that  she  could  not  resist  drew  her, 
I  saw  her  bend  down  her  head  over  his  sleeping  face. 
Yes;  and  I  saw  her  kiss  him  swiftly  on  the  lips,  then 
spring  back  crimson  to  the  hair,  as  though  overwhelmed 
with  shame  at  this  victory  of  her  mad  passion. 

Now  it  was  that  she  discovered  me. 

Bewildered,  fascinated,  amazed,  I  had  raised  myself 
upon  my  bed,  not  knowing  it;  I  suppose  that  I  might 
see  and  hear  the  better.  It  was  wrong,  doubtless,  but 
no  common  curiosity  over-mastered  me,  wrho  had  my 
share  in  all  this  story.  More,  it  was  foolish,  but  illness 
and  wonder  had  killed  my  reason. 

Yes,  she  saw  me  watching  them',  and  such  fury  seemed 
to  take  hold  of  her  that  I  thought  my  hour  had  come. 

"Man,  have  you  dared ?"  she  said  in  an  intense 

whisper,  and  snatching  at  her  girdle.  Now  in  her  hand 
shone  a  knife,  and  I  knew  that  it  was  destined  for  my 
heart.  Then  in  this  sore  danger  my  wit  came  back  to  me 
and  as  she  advanced  I  stretched  out  my  shaking  hand, 
saying— 

"  Oh !  of  your  pity,  give  me  to  drink.  The  fever  burns 
me,  it  burns,"  and  I  looked  round  like  one  bewildered  who 
sees  not,  repeating,  "  Give  me  drink,  you  who  are  called 
Guardian,"  and  I  fell  back  exhausted. 

She  stopped  like  a  hawk  in  its  stoop,  and  swiftly 
sheathed  the  dagger.  Then  taking  a  bowl  of  milk  that 
stood  on  a  table  near  her,  she  held  it  to  my  lips,  search 
ing  my  face  the  while  with  her  flaming  eyes,  for  indeed 
passion,  rage,  and  fear  had  lit  them  till  they  seemed  to 
flame.  I  drank  the  milk  in  great  gulps,  though  never  in 
my  life  did  I  find  it  more  hard  to  swallow. 

"  You  tremble,"  she  said ;  "  have  dreams  haunted 
you?" 

"  Aye,  friend,"  I  answered,  "  dreams  of  that  fearsome 
precipice  and  of  the  last  leap." 


92  AYES  HA 

"Aught  else?  "she  asked. 

"Nay;  is  it  not  enough?  Oh!  what  a  journey  to 
have  taken  to  befriend  a  queen." 

"  To  befriend  a  queen,"  she  repeated  puzzled.  "  What 
means  the  man?  You  swear  you  have  had  no  other 
dreams?" 

"Aye,  I  swear  by  the  Symbol  of  Life  and  the  Mount 
of  the  Wavering  Flame,  and  by  yourself,  O  Queen  from 
the  ancient  days." 

Then  I  sighed  and  pretended  to  swoon,  for  I  could 
think  of  nothing  else  to  do.  As  I  closed  my  eyes  I  .saw 
her  face  that  had  been  red  as  dawn  turn  pale  as  eve, 
for  my  words  and  all  which  might  lie  behind  them,  had 
gone  home.  Moreover,  she  was  in  doubt,  for  I  could 
hear  her  fingering  the  handle  of  the  dagger.  Then  she 
spoke  aloud,  words  for  my  ears  if  they  still  were  open. 

"  I  ami  glad,"  she  said,  "  that  he  dreamed  no  other 
dreams,  since  had  he  done  so  and  babbled  of  them  it 
would  have  been  ill-omened,  and  I  do  not  wish  that  one 
who  has  travelled  far  to  visit  us  should  be  hurled  to  the 
death-dogs  for  burial;  one,  moreover,  who  although  old 
and  hideous,  still  has  the  air  of  a  wise  and  silent'  man." 

Now  while  I  shivered  at  these  unpleasant  hints — 
though  what  the  "  death-dogs "  in  which  people  were 
buried  might  be,  I  could  not  conceive — to  my  intense  joy 
I  heard  the  foot  of  the  Guardian  on  the  stairs,  heard  him 
too  enter  the  room  and  saw  him  bow  before  the  lady. 

"  How  go  these  sick  men,  niece  ?  "  1  he  said  in  his  cold 
voice. 

"  They  swoon,  both  of  them,"  she  answered. 

"  Indeed,  is  it  so  ?  "  I  thought  otherwise.  I  thought 
they  woke." 

"What  have  you  heard,  Shaman  (i.e.  wizard)?"  she 
asked  angrily. 

1  I  found  later  that  the  Khania,  Atene,  was  not  Simbri's  niece  but 
his  great-niece,  on  the  mother's  side. — L.  H.  H. 


IN    THE    GATE  93 

"  I  ?  Oh !  I  heard  the  grating  of  a  dagger  in  its 
sheath  and  the  distant  baying  of  the  death-hounds." 

"  And  what  have  you  seen,  Shaman  ?  "  she  asked  again, 
"  looking  through  the  Gate  you  guard  ?  " 

"  Strange  sight,  Khania,  my  niece.  But — men  awake 
from  swoons." 

"  Aye,"  she  answered,  "  so  while  this  one  sleeps,  bear 
him  to  another  chamber,  for  he  needs  change,  and  the 
lord  yonder  needs  more  space  and  untainted  air." 

The  Guardian,  whom  she  called  "  Shaman  "  or  Ma 
gician,  held  a  lamp  in  his  hand,  and  by  its  light  it  was 
easy  to  see  his  face,  which  I  watched  out  of  the  corner  of 
my  eye.  I  thought  that  it  wore  a  very  strange  expres 
sion,  one  moreover  that  alarmed  me  somewhat.  From 
the  beginning  I  had  misdoubted  me  of  this  old  man, 
whose  cast  of  countenance  was  vindictive  as  it  was  able ; 
now  I  was  afraid  of  him. 

"  To  which  chamber,  Khania  ?  "  he  said  with  meaning. 

"  I  think,"  she  answered  slowly,  "  to  one  that  is 
healthful,  where  he  will  recover.  The  man  has  wisdom," 
she  added  as  though  in  explanation,  "  moreover,  having 
the  word  from  the  Mountain,  to  harm  him  would  be 
dangerous.  But  why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  tell  you  I  heard  the  death-hounds  bay,  that  is  all. 
Yes,  with  you  I  think  that  he  has  wisdom,  and  the  bee 
which  seeks  honey  should  suck  the  flower — before  it 
fades !  Also,  as  you  say,  there  are  commands  with  which 
it  is  ill  to  trifle,  even  if  we  cannot  guess  their  meaning." 

Then  going  to  the  door  he  blew  upon  his  whistle,  and 
instantly  I  heard  the  feet  of  his  servants  upon  the 
stairs.  He  gave  them  an  order,  and  gently  enough  they 
lifted  the  mattress  on  which  I  lay  and  followed  him 
down  sundry  passages  and  past  some  stairs  into  another 
chamber  shaped  like  that  we  had  left,  but  not  so  large, 
where  they  placed  me  upon  a  bed. 

The  Guardian  watched  me  awhile  to  see  that  I  did  not 


94  A  YES  HA 

wake.  Next  he  stretched  out  his  hand  and  felt  my  heart 
and  pulse ;  an  examination  the  results  of  which  seemed 
to  puzzle  him,  for  he  uttered  a  little  exclamation  and 
shook  his  head.  After  this  he  left  the  room,  and  I  heard 
him  bolt  the  door  behind  him.  Then,  being  still  very 
weak,  I  fell  asleep  in  earnest. 

When  I  awoke  it  was  broad  daylight.  My  mind  was 
clear  and  I  felt  better  than  I  had  done  for  many  a  day, 
signs  by  which  I  knew  that  the  fever  had  left  rue  and 
that  I  was  on  the  high  road  to  recovery.  Now  I  remem 
bered  all  the  events  of  the  previous  night  and  was  able 
to  weigh  them  carefully.  This,  to  be  sure,  I  did  for  many 
reasons,  among  them  that  I  knew  I  had  been  and  still 
was,  in  great  danger. 

I  had  seen  and  heard  too  much,  and  this  woman  called 
Khania  guessed  that  I  had  seen  and  heard.  Indeed,  had 
it  not  been  for  my  hints  about  the  Symbol  of  Life  and  the 
Mount  of  Flame,  after  I  had  disarmed  her  first  rage  by  my 
artifice,  I  felt  sure  that  she  would  have  ordered  the  old 
Guardian  or  Shaman  to  do  me  to  death  in  this  way  or  the 
other ;  sure  also  that  he  would  not  have  hesitated  to  obey 
her.  I  had  been  spared  partly  because,  for  some  unknown 
reason,  she  was  afraid  to  kill  me,  and  partly  that  she 
might  learn  how  much  I  knew,  although  the  "  death- 
hounds  had  bayed,"  whatever  that  might  mean.  Well, 
up  to  the  present  I  was  safe,  and  for  the  rest  I  must 
take  my  chance.  Moreover  it  was  necessary  to  be  cau 
tious,  and,  if  need  were,  to  feign  ignorance.  So,  dis 
missing  the  matter  of  my  own  fate  from  my  mind,  I  fell 
to  considering  the  scene  which  I  had  witnessed  and  what 
might  be  its  purport. 

Was  our  quest  at  an  end?  Was  this  woman  Ayesha? 
Leo  had  so  dreamed,  but  he  was  still  delirious,  therefore 
here  was  little  on  which  to  lean.  What  seemed  more 
to  the  point  was  that  she  herself  evidently  appeared  to 
think  that  there  existed  some  tie  between  her  and  this 
sick  man.  Why  had  she  embraced  him  ?  I  was  sure  that 


IN    THE    GATE  95 

she  could  be  no  wanton,  nor  indeed  would  any  woman 
indulge  for  its  own  sake  in  such  folly  with  a  stranger 
who  hung  between  life  and  death.  What  she  had  done 
was  done  because  irresistible  impulse,  born  of  knowledge, 
or  at  least  of  memories,  drove  her  on,  though  mayhap 
the  knowledge  was  imperfect  and  the  memories  were 
undefined.  Who  save  Ayesha  could  have  known  any 
thing  of  Leo  in  the  past?  None  who  lived  upon  the 
earth  to-day. 

And  yet,  why  not,  if  what  Kou-en  the  abbot  and  tens 
of  millions  of  his  fellow-worshippers  believed  were  true? 
If  the  souls  of  human  beings  were  in  fact  strictly  limited 
in  number  and  became  the  tenants  of  an  endless  succes 
sion  of  physical  bodies  which  they  change  from  time  to 
time  as  we  change  our  worn-out  garments,  why  should 
not  others  have  known  him  ?  For  instance  that  daughter 
of  the  Pharaohs  who  "  caused  him  through  love  to  break 
the  vows  that  he  had  vowed  "  knew  a  certain  Kallikrates, 
a  priest  of  "  Isis  whom  the  gods  cherish  and  the  demons 
obey ;  "  even  Amenartas,  the  mistress  of  magic. 

Oh  !  now  a  light  seemed  to  break  upon  me,  a  wonderful 
light.  What  if  Amenartas  and  this  Khania,  this  woman 
with  royalty  stamped  on  every  feature,  should  be  the 
same  ?  Would  not  that  "  magic  of  my  own  people  that  I 
have  "  of  which  she  wrote  upon  the  Sherd,  enable  her  to 
pierce  the  darkness  of  the  Past  and  recognize  the  priest 
whom  she  had  bewitched  to  love  her,  snatching  him  out 
of  the  very  hand  of  the  goddess?  What  if  it  were  not 
Ayesha,  but  Amenartas  re-incarnate  who  ruled  this  hid 
den  land  and  once  more  sought  to  make  the  man  she  loved 
break  through  his  vows  ?  If  so,  knowing  the  evil  that 
must  come,  I  shook  even  at  its  shadow.  The  truth  must 
be  learned,  but  how? 

Whilst  I  wondered  the  door  opened,  and  the  sardonic, 
inscrutable-old-faced  man,  whom  this  Khania  had  called 
Magician,  and  who  called  the  Khania,  niece,  entered  and 
stood  before  me. 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE    FIRST  ORDEAL 

THE  Shaman  advanced  to  my  side  and  asked  me  cour 
teously  how  I  fared. 

I  answered,  "  Better.  Far  better,  oh,  my  host — but 
how  are  you  named  ?  " 

"  Simbri,"  he  answered,  "  and,  as  I  told  you  by  the 
water,  my  title  is  Hereditary  Guardian  of  the  Gate.  By 
profession  I  am  the  royal  Physician  in  this  land." 

"  Did  you  say  physician  or  magician  ?  "  I  asked  care 
lessly,  as  though  I  had  not  caught  the  word.  He  gave 
me  a  curious  look. 

"  I  said  physician,  and  it  is  well  for  you  and  your 
companion  that  I  have  some  skill  in  my  art.  Otherwise 
I  think,  perhaps,  you  would  not  have  been  alive  to-day,  O 
my  guest — but  how  are  you  named?  " 

"  Holly,"  I  said. 

"  O  my  guest,  Holly." 

"  Had  it  not  been  for  the  foresight  that  brought  you 
,and  the  lady  Khania  to  the  edge  of  yonder  darksome 
river,  certainly  we  should  not  have  been  alive,  venerable 
Simbri,  a  foresight  that  seems  to  me  to  savour  of  magic 
in  such  a  lonely  place.  That  is  why  I  thought  you  might 
have  described  yourself  as  a  magician,  though  it  is  true 
that  you  may  have  been  but  fishing  in  those  waters." 

"  Certainly  I  was  fishing,  stranger  Holly — for  men,  and 
I  caught  two." 

"  Fishing  by  chance,  host  Simbri  ?  " 

"  Nay,  by  design,  guest  Holly.  My  trade  of  physician 
includes  the  study  of  future  events,  for  I  am  the  chief 

Q6 


THE   FIRST   ORDEAL 


97 


of  the  Shamans  or  Seers  of  this  land,  and,  having  been 
warned  of  your  coming  quite  recently,  I  awaited  your  ar 
rival." 

"  Indeed,  that  is  strange,  most  courteous  also.  So 
here  physician  and  magician  mean  the  same." 

"  You  say  it,"  he  answered  with  a  grave  bow ;  "  but 
tell  me,  if  you  will,  how  did  you  find  your  way  to  a  land 
whither  visitors  do  not  wander  ?  " 

"  Oh !  "  I  answered,  "  perhaps  we  are  but  travellers,  or 
perhaps  we  also  have  studied — medicine." 

"  I  think  that  you  must  have  studied  it  deeply,  since 
otherwise  you  would  not  have  lived  to  cross  those  moun 
tains  in  search  of — now,  what  did  you  seek?  Your  com 
panion,  I  think,  spoke  of  a  queen — yonder,  on  the  banks 
of  the  torrent." 

"  Did  he  ?  Did  he,  indeed  ?  Well,  that  is  strange  since 
he  seems  to  have  found  one,  for  surely  that  royal-looking 
lady,  named  Khania,  who  sprang  into  the  stream  and 
saved  us,  must  be  a  queen." 

"  A  queen  she  is,  and  a  great  one,  for  in  our  land 
Khania  means  queen,  though  how,  friend  Holly,  a  man 
who  has  lain  senseless  can  have  learned  this,  I  do  not 
know.  Nor  do  I  know  how  you  come  to  speak  our  lan 
guage." 

"  That  is  simple,  for  the  tongue  you  talk  is  very  ancient, 
and  as  it  chances  in  my  own  country  it  has  been  my  (lot 
to  study  and  to  teach  it.  It  is  Greek,  but  although  it  is 
still  spoken  in  the  world,  how  it  reached  these  mountains 
I  cannot  say." 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  he  answered.  "  Many  generations 
ago  a  great  conqueror  born  of  the  nation  that  spoke  this 
tongue  fought  his  way  through  the  country  to  the  south 
of  us.  He  was  driven  back,  but  a  general  of  his  of  an 
other  race  advanced  and  crossed  the  mountains,  and  over 
came  the  people  of  this  land,  bringing  with  him  his  mas 
ter's  language  and  his  own  worship.  Here  he  established 
his  dynasty,  and  here  it  remains,  for  being  ringed  in 


98  AYES  HA 

with  deserts  and  with  pathless  mountain  snows,  we  hold 
no  converse  with  the  outer  world." 

"  Yes,  I  know  something  of  that  story ;  the  conqueror 
was  named  Alexander,  was  he  not  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  He  was  so  named,  and  the  name  of  the  general  was 
Rassen,  a  native  of  a  country  called  Egypt,  or  so  our 
records  tell  us.  His  descendants  hold  the  throne  to  this 
day,  and  the  Khania  is  of  his  blood." 

"  Was  the  goddess  whom  he  worshipped  called  Isis  ?  " 

"  Nay,"  he  answered,  "  she  was  called  Hes." 

"  Which,"  I  interrupted,  "  is  but  another  title  for  Isis. 
Tell  me,  is  her  worship  continued  here  ?  I  ask  because  it 
is  now  dead  in  Egypt,  which  was  its  home." 

"  There  is  a  temple  on  the  Mountain  yonder,"  he  re 
plied  indifferently,  "  and  in  it  are  priests  and  priestesses 
who  practise  some  ancient  cult.  But  the  real  god  of  this 
people  now,  as  long  before  the  day  of  Rassen  their  con 
queror,  is  the  fire  that  dwells  in  this  same  Mountain, 
which  from  time  to  time  breaks  out  and  slays  them." 

"  And  does  a  goddess  dwell  in  the  fire?  "  I  asked. 

Again  he  searched  my  face  with  his  cold  eyes,  then 
answered — 

"  Stranger  Holly,  I  know  nothing  of  any  goddess. 
That  Mountain  is  sacred,  and  to  seek  to  learn  its  secrets 
is  to  die.  Why  do  you  ask  such  questions  ?  " 

"  Only  because  I  am  curious  in  the  matter  of  old  re 
ligions,  and  seeing  the  symbol  of  Life  upon  yonder  peak, 
came  hither  to  study  yours,  of  which  indeed  a  tradition 
still  remains  among  the  learned." 

"  Then  abandon  that  study,  friend  Holly,  for  the  road 
to  it  runs  through  the  j.aws  of  the  death-hounds,  and  the 
spears  of  savages.  Nor  indeed  is  there  anything  to 
learn." 

"  And  what,  Physician,  are  the  death-hounds  ?  " 

"  Certain  dogs  to  which,  according  to  our  ancient  cus 
tom,  all  offenders  against  the  law  or  the  will  of  the  Khan, 
are  cast  to  be  torn  to  pieces." 


THE   FIRST   ORDEAL  99 

"  The  will  of  the  Khan !  Has  this  Khania  of  yours  a 
husband  then  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  he  answered,  "  her  cousin,  who  was  the  ruler 
of  half  the  land.  Now  they  and  the  land  are  one.  But 
you  have  talked  enough ;  I  am  here  to  say  that  your  food 
is  ready,"  and  he  turned  to  leave  the  room. 

"  One  more  question,  friend  Simbri.  How  came  I  to 
this  chamber,  and  where  is  my  companion?  " 

"  You  were  borne  hither  in  your  sleep,  and  see,  the 
change  has  bettered  you.  Do  you  remember  nothing  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  nothing  at  all,"  I  answered  earnestly.  "  But 
what  of  my  friend  ?  " 

"  He  also  is  better.    The  Khania  Atene  nurses  him." 

"  Atene  ?  "  I  said.  "  That  is  an  old  Egyptian  name. 
It  means  the  Disk  of  the  Sun,  and  a  woman  who  bore  it 
thousands  of  years  ago  was  famous  for  her  beauty." 

"  Well,  and  is  not  my  niece  Ateue  beautiful  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  tell,  O  uncle  of  the  Khania,"  I  answered 
wearily,  "  who  have  scarcely  seen  her  ?  " 

Then  he  departed,  and  presently  his  yellow-faced,  silent 
servants  brought  me  my  food. 

Later  in  the  morning  the  door  opened  again,  and 
through  it,  unattended,  came  the  Khania  Atene,  who  shut 
and  bolted  it  behind  her.  This  action  did  not  reassure 
me,  still,  rising  in  my  bed,  I  saluted  her  as  best  I  could, 
although  at  heart  I  was  afraid.  She  seemed  to  read  my 
doubts  for  she  said — 

"  Lie  down,  and  have  no  fear.  At  present  you  will  come 
by  no  harm  from  me.  Now,  tell  me  what  is  the  man 
called  Leo  to  you  ?  Your  son  ?  Nay,  it  cannot  be,  since 
— forgive  me — light  is  not  born  of  darkness." 

"  I  have  always  thought  that  it  was  so  born,  Khania. 
Yet  you  are  right;  he  is  but  my  adopted  son,  and  a  man 
whom  I  love." 

"  Say,  what  seek  you  here?  "  she  asked. 

"  We  seek,  Khania,  whatsoever  Fate  shall  bring  us  on 
yonder  Mountain,  that  which  is  crowned  with  flame." 


ioo  AYES  HA 

Her  face  paled  at  the  words,  but  she  answered  in  a 
steady  voice — 

"  Then  there  you  will  find  nothing  but  doom,  if  indeed 
you  do  not  find  it  before  you  reach  its  slopes,  which  are 
guarded  by  savage  men.  Yonder  is  the  College  of  Hes, 
and  to  violate  its  Sanctuary  is  death  to  any  man,  death  in 
the  ever-burning  fire." 

"  And  who  rules  this  college,  Khania — a  priestess  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  priestess,  whose  face  I  have  never  seen,  for  she 
is  so  old  that  she  veils  herself  from  curious  eyes." 

"  Ah !  she  veils  herself,  does  she  ?  "  I  answered,  as  the 
blood  went  thrilling  through  my  veins,  I  who  remembered 
another  who  also  was  so  old  that  she  veiled  herself  from 
curious  eyes.  "  Well,  veiled  or  unveiled,  we  would  visit 
her,  trusting  to  find  that  we  are  welcome." 

:<  That  you  shall  not  do,"  she  said,  "  for  it  is  unlawful, 
and  I  will  not  have  your  blood  upon  my  hands." 

"  Which  is  the  stronger,"  I  asked  of  her,  "  you,  Khania, 
or  this  priestess  of  the  Mountain  ?  " 

"  I  am  the  stronger,  Holly,  for  so  you  are  named,  are 
you  not?  Look  you,  at  my  need  I  can  summon  sixty 
thousand  men  in  war,  while  she  has  naught  but  her  priests 
and  the  fierce,  untrained  tribes." 

"  The  sword  is  not  the  only  power  in  the  world,"  I 
answered.  "  Tell  me,  now,  does  this  priestess  ever  visit 
the  country  of  Kaloon  ?  " 

"  Never,  never,  for  by  the  ancient  pact,  made  after  the 
last  great  struggle  long  centuries  ago  between  the  College 
and  the  people  of  the  Plain,  it  was  decreed  and  sworn  to 
that  should  she  set  her  foot  across  the  river,  this  means 
war  to  the  end  between  us,  and  rule  for  the  victor  over 
both.  Likewise,  save  when  unguarded  they  bear  their 
dead  to  burial,  or  for  some  such  high  purpose,  no  Khan 
or  Khania  of  Kaloon  ascends  the  Mountain." 

"  Which  then  is  the  true  master — the  Khan  of  Kaloon 
or  the  head  of  the  College  of  Hes  ?  "  I  asked  again. 

"  In  matters  spiritual,  the  priestess  of  Hes,  who  is  our 


THE   FIRST    ORDEAL  101 

Oracle  and  the  voice  of  Heaven.  In  matters  temporal,  the 
Khan  of  Kaloon." 

"  The  Khan.  Ah !  you  are  married,  lady,  are  you 
not?" 

"  Aye,"  she  answered,  her  face  flushing.  "  And  I  will 
tell  you  what  you  soon  must  learn,  if  you  have  not  learned 
it  already,  I  am  the  wife  of  a  madman,  and  he  is — hateful 
to  me." 

"  I  have  learned  the  last  already,  Khania." 

She  looked  at  me  with  her  piercing  eyes. 

"  What !  Did  my  uncle,  the  Shaman,  he  who  is  called 
Guardian,  tell  you?  Nay,  you  saw,  as  I  knew  you  saw, 
and  it  would  have  been  best  to  slay  you  for,  oh!  what 
must  you  think  of  me  ?  " 

I  made  no  answer,  for  in  truth  I  did  not  know  what  to 
think,  also  I  feared  lest  further  rash  admissions  should  be 
followed  by  swift  vengeance. 

"  You  must  believe,"  she  went  on,  "  that  I,  who  have 
ever  hated  men,  that  I — I  swear  that  it  is  true — whose 
lips  are  purer  than  those  mountain  snows,  I,  the  Khania 
of  Kaloon,  whom  they  name  Heart-of-Ice,  am  but  a 
shameless  thing."  And,  covering  her  face  with  her  hand, 
she  moaned  in  the  bitterness  of  her  distress. 

"  Nay,"  I  said,  "  there  may  be  reasons,  explanations,  if 
it  pleases  you  to  give  them." 

"  Wanderer,  there  are  such  reasons ;  and  since  you 
know  so  much,  you  shall  learn  them  also.  Like  that  hus 
band  of  mine,  I  have  become  mad.  When  first  I  saw  the 
face  of  your  companion,  as  I  dragged  him  from  the  river, 
madness  entered  me,  and  I — I " 

"  Loved  him,"  I  suggested.  "  Well,  such  things  have 
happened  before  to  people  who  were  not  mad." 

"  Oh !  "  she  went  on,  "  it  was  more  than  love ;  I  was 
possessed,  and  that  night  I  knew  not  what  I  did.  A 
Power  drove  me  on ;  a  Destiny  compelled  me,  and  to  the 
end  I  am  his,  and  his  alone.  Yes,  I  am  his,  and  I  swear 
that  he  shall  be  mine ; "  and  with  this  wild  declaration, 


102  'AYESHA 

dangerous  enough  under  the  conditions,  she  turned  and 
fled  the  room. 

She  was  gone,  and  after  the  struggle,  for  such  it  was, 
I  sank  back  exhausted.  How  came  it  that  this  sudden 
passion  had  mastered  her?  Who  and  what  was  this 
Khania,  I  wondered  again,  and — this  was  more  to  the 
point,  who  and  what  would  Leo  believe  her  to  be?  If 
only  I  could  be  with  him  before  he  said  words  or  did 
deeds  impossible  to  recall. 

Three  days  went  by,  during  which  time  I  saw  no  more  of 
the  Khania,  who,  or  so  I  was  informed  by  Simbri,  the 
Shaman,  had  returned  to  her  city  to  make  ready  for  us, 
her  guests.  I  begged  him  to  allow  me  to  rejoin  Leo,  but 
he  answered  politely,  though  with  much  firmness,  that  my 
foster-son  did  better  without  me.  Now,  I  grew  suspi 
cious,  fearing  lest  some  harm  had  come  to  Leo,  though 
how  to  discover  the  truth  I  knew  not.  In  my  anxiety  I 
tried  to  convey  a  note  to  him,  written  upon  a  leaf  of  a 
water-stained  pocket-book,  but  the  yellow-faced  servant 
refused  to  touch  it,  and  Simbri  said  drily  that  he  would 
have  naught  to  do  with  writings  which  he  could  not  read. 
At  length,  on  the  third  night  I  made  up  my  mind  that 
whatever  the  risk,  with  leave  or  without  it,  I  would  try  to 
find  him. 

By  this  time  I  could  walk  well,  and  indeed  was  almost 
strong  again.  So  about  midnight,  when  the  moon  was 
up,  for  I  had  no  other  light,  I  crept  from  my  bed,  threw 
on  my  garments,  and  taking  a  knife,  which  was  the  only 
weapon  I  possessed,  opened  the  door  of  my  room  and 
started. 

Now,  when  I  was  carried  from  the  rock-chamber  where 
Leo  and  I  had  been  together,  I  took  note  of  the  way. 
First,  reckoning  from  my  sleeping-place,  there  was  a 
passage  thirty  paces  long,  for  I  had  counted  the  footfalls 
of  my  bearers.  Then  came  a  turn  to  the  left,  and  ten 
more  paces  of  passage,  and  lastly  near  certain  steps  run- 


THE   FIRST    ORDEAL  103 

ning  to  some  place  unknown,  another  sharp  turn  to  the 
right  which  led  to  our  old  chamber. 

Down  the  long  passage  I  walked  stealthily,  and  al 
though  it  was  pitch  dark,  found  the  turn  to  the  left,  and 
followed  it  till  I  came  to  the  second  sharp  turn  to  the 
right,  that  of  the  gallery  from  which  rose  the  stairs.  I 
crept  round  it  only  to  retreat  hastily  enough,  as  well  I 
might,  for  at  the  door  of  Leo's  room,  which  she  was  in 
the  act  of  locking  on  the  outside,  as  I  could  see  by  the 
light  of  the  lamp  that  she  held  in  her  hand,  stood  the 
Khania  herself. 

My  first  thought  was  to  fly  back  to  my  own  chamber, 
but  I  abandoned  it,  feeling  sure  that  I  should  be  seen. 
Therefore  I  determined,  if  she  discovered  me,  to  face  the 
matter  out  and  say  that  I  was  trying  to  find  Leo,  and  to 
learn  how  he  fared.  So  I  crouched  against  the  wall,  and 
waited  with  a  beating  heart.  I  heard  her  sweep  down 
the  passage,  and — yes — begin  to  mount  the  stair. 

Now,  what  should  I  do  ?  To  try  to  reach  Leo  was  use 
less,  for  she  had  locked  the  door  with  the  key  she  held. 
Go  back  to  bed  ?  No,  I  would  follow  her,  and  if  we  met 
would  make  the  same  excuse.  Thus  I  might  get  some 
tidings,  or  perhaps — a  dagger  thrust. 

So  round  the  corner  and  up  the  steps  I  went,  noiselessly 
as  a  snake.  They  were  many  and  winding,  like  those  of 
a  church  tower,  but  at  length  I  came  to  the  head  of  them, 
where  was  a  little  landing,  and  opening  from  it  a  door.  It 
was  a  very  ancient  door;  the  light  streamed  through 
cracks  where  its  panels  had  rotted,  and  from  the  room 
beyond  came  the  sound  of  voices,  those  of  the  Shaman 
Simbri  and  the  Khania. 

"  Have  you  learned  aught,  my  niece  ?  "  I  heard  him 
say,  and  also  heard  her  answer—- 

"  A  little.    A  very  little." 

Then  in  my  thirst  for  knowledge  I  grew  bold,  and 
stealing  to  the  door,  looked  through  one  of  the  cracks  in 
its  wood.  Opposite  to  me,  in  the  full  flood  of  light 


104  AYES  HA 

thrown  by  a  hanging  lamp,  her  hand  resting  on  a  table 
at  which  Simbri  was  seated,  stood  the  Khania.  Truly 
she  was  a  beauteous  sight,  for  she  wore  robes  of  royal 
purple,  and  on  her  brow  a  little  coronet  of  gold,  beneath 
which  her  curling  hair  streamed  down  her  shapely  neck 
and  bosom.  Seeing  her  I  guessed  at  once  that  she  had 
arrayed  herself  thus  for  some  secret  end,  enhancing  her 
loveliness  by  every  art  and  grace  that  is  known  to  woman. 
Simbri  was  looking  at  her  earnestly,  with  fear  and  doubt 
written  on  even  his  cold,  impassive  features. 

"  What  passed  between  you,  then  ?  "  he  asked,  peering 
at  her. 

"  I  questioned  him  closely  as  to  the  reason  of  his  com 
ing  to  this  land,  and  wrung  from  him  the  answer  that  it 
was  to  seek  some  beauteous  woman — he  would  say  no 
more.  I  asked  him  if  she  were  more  beauteous  than  I 
am,  and  he  replied  with  courtesy — nothing  else,  I  think — 
that  it  would  be  hard  to  say,  but  that  she  had  been  differ 
ent.  Then  I  said  that  though  it  behooved  me  not  to  speak 
of  such  a  matter,  there  was  no  lady  in  Kaloon  whom  men 
held  to  be  so  fair  as  I;  moreover,  that  I  was  its  ruler, 
and  that  I  and  no  other  had  saved  him  from  the  water. 
Aye,  and  I  added  that  my  heart  told  me  I  was  the  woman 
whom  he  sought/' 

"  Have  done,  niece,"  said  Simbri  impatiently,  "  I  would 
not  hear  of  the  arts  you  used — well  enough,  doubtless. 
What  then?" 

"  Then  he  said  that  it  might  be  so,  since  he  thought 
that  this  woman  was  born  again,  and  studied  me  a  while, 
asking  me  if  I  had  ever  '  passed  through  fire/  To  this  I  re 
plied  that  the  only  fires  I  had  passed  were  those  of  the 
spirit,  and  that  I  dwelt  in  them  now.  He  said,  *  Show  me 
your  hair/  and  I  placed  a  lock  of  it  in  his  hand.  Presently 
he  let  it  fall,  and  from  that  satchel  which  he  wears  about 
his  neck  drew  out  another  tress  of  hair — oh !  Simbri,  my 
uncle,  the  loveliest  hair  that  ever  eyes  beheld,  for  it  was 
soft  as  silk,  and  reached  from  my  coronet  to  the  ground. 


THE   FIRST   ORDEAL 

Moreover,  no  raven's  wing  in  the  sunshine  ever  shone  as 
did  that  fragrant  tress. 

"  '  Yours  is  beautiful/  he  said,  '  but  see,  they  are  not 
the  same/ 

"  '  Mayhap/  I  answered,  '  since  no  woman  ever  wore 
such  locks/ 

"  '  You  are  right/  he  replied,  '  for  she  whom  I  seek  was 
more  than  a  woman.' 

"  And  then — and  then — though  I  tried  him  in  many 
ways  he  would  say  no  more,  so,  feeling  hate  against  this 
Unknown  rising  in  my  heart,  and  fearing  lest  I  should 
utter  words  that  were  best  unsaid,  I  left  him.  Now  I  bid 
you,  search  the  books  which  are  open  to  your  wisdom 
and  tell  me  of  this  woman  whom  he  seeks,  who  she  is,  and 
where  she  dwells.  Oh!  search  them  swiftly,  that  I  may 
find  her  and — kill  her  if  I  can." 

"  Aye,  if  you  can,"  answered  the  Shaman,  "  and  if  .she 
lives  to  kill.  But  say,  where  shall  we  begin  our  quest? 
Now,  this  letter  from  the  Mountain  that  the  head-priest 
Oros  sent  to  your  court  a  while  ago  ?  " — and  he  selected 
a  parchment  from  a  pile  which  lay  upon  the  table  and 
looked  at  her. 

"  Read,"  she  said,  "  I  would  hear  it  again." 

So  he  read :  "  From  the  Hesea  of  the  House  of  Fire, 
to  Atene,  Khania  of  Kaloon. 

"  MY  SISTER — Warning  has  reached  me  that  two 
strangers  of  a  western  race  journey  to  your  land,  seeking 
my  Oracle,  of  which  they  would  ask  a  question.  On  the 
first  day  of  the  next  moon,  I  command  that  you  and  with 
you  Simbri,  your  great-uncle,  the  wise  Shaman,  Guardian 
of  the  Gate,  shall  be  watching  the  river  in  the  gulf  at  the 
foot  of  the  ancient  road,  for  by  that  steep  path  the 
strangers  travel.  Aid  them  in  all  things  and  bring  them 
safely  to  the  Mountain,  knowing  that  in  this  matter  I 
shall  hold  him  and  you.  to  account.  Myself  I  will  not 
meet  them,  since  to  do  so  would  be  to  break  the  pact  be 
tween  our  powers,  which  says  that  the  Hesea  of  the 


io6  AYES  HA 

Sanctuary  visits  not  the  territory  of  Kaloon,  save  in  war. 
Also  their  coming  is  otherwise  appointed." 

"  It  would  seem,"  said  Simbri,  laying  down  the  parch 
ment,  "  that  these  are  no  chance  wanderers,  since  Hes 
awaits  them." 

"  Aye,  they  are  no  chance  wanderers,  since  my  heart 
awaited  one  of  them  also.  Yet  the  Hesea  cannot  be  that 
woman,  for  reasons  which  are  known  to  you." 

"  There  are  many  women  on  the  Mountain,"  suggested 
the  Shaman  in  a  dry  voice,  "  if  indeed  any  woman  has  to 
do  with  this  matter." 

"  I  at  least  have  to  do  with  it,  and  he  shall  not  go  to 
the  Mountain." 

"  Hes  is  powerful,  my  niece,  and  beneath  these  smooth 
words  of  hers  lies  a  dreadful  threat.  I  say  that  she  is 
mighty  from  of  old  and  has  servants  in  the  earth  and  air 
who  warned  her  of  the  coming  of  these  men,  and  will 
warn  her  of  what  befalls  them.  I  know  it,  who  hate 
her,  and  to  your  royal  house  of  Rassen  it  has  been  known 
for  many  a  generation.  Therefore  thwart  her  not  lest  ill 
befall  us  all,  for  she  is  a  spirit  and  terrible.  She  says 
that  it  is  appointed  that  they  shall  go " 

"  And  I  say  it  is  appointed  that  he  shall  not  go.  Let 
the  other  go  if  he  desires." 

"  Atene,  be  plain,  what  will  you  with  the  man  called 
Leo — that  he  should  become  your  lover  ?  "  asked  the  Sha 
man. 

She  stared  him  straight  in  the  eyes,  and  answered 
boldly— 

"  Nay,  I  will  that  he  should  become  my  husband." 

"  First  he  must  will  it  too,  who  seems  to  have  no  mind 
that  way.  Also,  how  can  a  woman  have  two  husbands  ?  " 

She  laid  her  hand  upon  his  shoulder  and  said— 

"  I  have  no  husband.  You  know  it  well,  Simbri.  I 
charge  you  by  the  close  bond  of  blood  between  us,  brew 
me  another  draught " 

"  That  we  may  be  bound  yet  closer  in  a  bond  of  mur- 


THE   FIRST    ORDEAL  107 

der !  Nay,  Atene,  I  will  not ;  already  your  sin  lies  heavy 
on  my  head.  You  are  very  fair;  take  the  man  in  your 
own  net,  if  you  may,  or  let  him  be,  which  is  better  far." 

"  I  cannot  let  him  be.  Would  that  I  were  able.  I 
must  love  him  as  I  must  hate  the  other  whom  he  loves, 
yet  some  power  hardens  his  heart  against  me.  Oh ! 
great  Shaman,  you  that  peep  and  mutter,  you  who  can 
read  the  future  and  the  past,  tell  me  what  you  have 
learned  from  your  stars  and  divinations." 

"  Already  I  have  sought  through  many  a  secret,  toil 
some  hour  and  learned  this,  Atene,"  he  answered.  "  You 
are  right,  the  fate  of  yonder  man  is  intertwined  with 
yours,  but  between  you  and  him  there  rises  a  mighty  wall 
that  my  vision  cannot  pierce  nor  my  familiars  climb.  Yet 
I  am  taught  that  in  death  you  and  he — aye,  and  I  also, 
shall  be  very  near  together." 

"  Then  come  death,"  she  exclaimed  with  sullen  pride, 
"  for  thence  at  least  I'll  pluck  out  my  desire." 

"  Be  not  so  sure,"  he  answered,  "  for  I  think  that  the 
Power  follows  us  even  down  this  dark  gulf  of  death.  I 
think  also  that  I  feel  the  sleepless  eyes  of  Hes  watching 
our  secret  souls." 

"  Then  blind  them  with  the  dust  of  illusions — as  you  can. 
To-morrow,  also,  saying  nothing  of  their  sex,  send  a  mes 
senger  to  the  Mountain  and  tell  the  Hesea  that  two  old 
strangers  have  arrived — mark  you,  old — but  that  they 
are  very  sick,  that  their  limbs  were  broken  in  the  river, 
and  that  when  they  have  healed  again,  I  will  send  them 
to  ask  the  question  of  her  Oracle — that  is,  some  three 
moons  hence.  Perchance  she  may  believe  you,  and  be  con 
tent  to  wait ;  or  if  she  does  not,  at  least  no  more  words.  I 
must  sleep  or  my  brain  will  burst.  Give  me  that  medi- 
cince  which  brings  dreamless  rest,  for  never  did  I  need 
it  more,  who  also  feel  eyes  upon  me,"  and  she  glanced 
towards  the  door. 

Then  I  left,  and  not  too  soon,  for  as  I  crept  down  the 
darksome  passage,  I  heard  it  open  behind  me. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE   DEATH-HOUNDS 

IT  may  have  been  ten  o'clock  on  the  following  morning, 
or  a  little  past  it,  when  the  Shaman  Simbri  came  into  my 
room  and  asked  me  how  I  had  slept. 

"  Like  a  log,"  I  answered,  "  like  a  log.  A  drugged 
man  could  not  have  rested  more  soundly." 

"  Indeed,  friend  Holly,  and  yet  you  look  fatigued." 

"  My  dreams  troubled  me  somewhat,"  I  answered.  "  I 
suffer  from  such  things.  But  surely  by  your  face, 
friend  Simbri,  you  cannot  have  slept  at  all,  for  never  yet 
have  I  seen  you  with  so  weary  an  air." 

"  I  am  weary,"  he  said,  with  a  sigh.  "  Last  night  I 
spent  up  on  my  business — watching  at  the  Gates." 

"  What  gates  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Those  by  which  we  entered 
this  kingdom,  for,  if  so,  I  would  rather  watch  than  travel 
them." 

"  The  Gates  of  the  Past  and  of  the  Future.  Yes,  those 
by  which  you  entered,  if  you  will ;  for  did  you  not  travel 
out  of  a  wondrous  Past  towards  a  Future  that  you  cannot 
guess?" 

"  But  both  of  which  interest  you,"  I  suggested. 

"Perhaps,"  he  answered,  then  added,  "I  come  to  tell 
you  that  within  an  hour  you  are  to  start  for  the  city, 
whither  the  Khania  has  but  now  gone  on  to  make  ready 
for  you." 

"  Yes ;  only  you  told  me  that  she  had  gone  some  days 
ago.  Well,  I  am  sound  again  and  prepared  to  march,  but 
say,  how  is  my  foster-son  ?  " 

"  He  mends,  he  mends.    But  you  shall  see  him  for  your- 

108 


THE   DEATH-HOUNDS  109 

self.  It  is  the  Khania's  will.  Here  come  the  slaves 
bearing  your  robes,  and  with  them  I  leave  you." 

So  with  their  assistance  I  dressed  myself,  first  in  good, 
clean  under-linen,  then  in  wide  woollen  trousers  and  vest, 
and  lastly  in  a  fur-lined  camel-hair  robe  dyed  black  that 
was  very  comf6rtable  to  wear,  and  in  appearance  not 
unlike  a  long  overcoat.  A  flat  cap  of  the  same  material 
and  a  pair  of  boots  made  of  untanned  hide  completed  my 
attire. 

Scarcely  was  I  ready  when  the  yellow-faced  servants, 
with  many  bows,  took  me  by  the  hand  and 'led  me  down 
the  passages  and  stairs  of  the  Gate-house  to  its  door. 
Here,  to  my  great  joy,  I  found  Leo,  looking  pale  and 
troubled,  but  otherwise  as  well  as  I  could  expect  after  his 
sickness.  He  was  attired  like  myself,  save  that  his  gar 
ments  were  of  a  finer  quality,  and  the  overcoat  was 
white,  with  a  hood  to  it,  added,  I  suppose,  to  protect  the 
wound  in  his  head  from  cold  and  the  sun.  This  white  dress 
I  thought  became  him  very  well,  also  about  it  there  was 
nothing  grotesque  or  even  remarkable.  He  sprang  to  me 
and  seized  my  hand,  asking  how  I  fared  and  where  I 
had  been  hidden  away,  a  greeting  of  which,  as  I  could 
see,  the  warmth  was  not  lost  upon  Simbri,  who  stood  by. 

I  answered,  well  enough  now  that  we  were  together 
again,  and  for  the  rest  I  would  tell  him  later. 

Then  they  brought  us  palanquins,  carried,  each  of  them, 
by  two  ponies,  one  of  which  was  harnessed  ahead  and  the 
other  behind  between  long  shaft-like  poles.  In  these  we 
seated  ourselves,  and  at  a  sign  from  Simbri  slaves  took 
the  leading  ponies  by  the  bridle  and  we  started,  leaving  be 
hind  us  that  grim  old  Gate-house  through  which  we  were 
the  first  strangers  to  pass  for  many  a  generation. 

For  a  mile  or  more  our  road  ran  down  a  winding, 
rocky  gorge,  till  suddenly  it  took  a  turn,  and  the  country 
of  Kaloon  lay  stretched  before  us.  At  our  feet  was  a 
river,  probably  the  same  with  which  we  had  made  ac 
quaintance  in  the  gulf,  where,  fed  by  the  mountain  snows, 


no  A  YES  HA 

it  had  its  source.  Here  it  flowed  rapidly,  but  on  the  vast, 
alluvial  lands  beneath  became  a  broad  and  gentle  stream 
that  wound  its  way  through  the  limitless  plains  till  it  was 
lost  in  the  blue  of  the  distance. 

To  the  north,  however,  this  smooth,  monotonous  ex 
panse  was  broken  by  that  Mountain  which  had  guided 
us  from  afar,  the  House  of  Fire.  It  was  a  great  distance 
from  us,  more  than  a  hundred  miles,  I  should  say,  yet 
even  so  a  most  majestic  sight  in  that  clear  air.  Many 
leagues  from  the  base  of  its  peak  the  ground  began  to 
rise  in  brown  and  rugged  hillocks,  from  which  sprang  the 
holy  Mountain  itself,  a  white  and  dazzling  point  that 
soared  full  twenty  thousand  feet  into  the  heavens. 

Yes,  and  there  upon  the  nether  lip  of  its  crater  stood 
the  gigantic  pillar,  surmounted  by  a  yet  more  gigantic 
loop  of  virgin  rock,  whereof  the  blackness  stood  out 
grimly  against  the  blue  of  the  sky  beyond  and  the  blind 
ing  snow  beneath. 

We  gazed  at  it  with  awe,  as  well  we  might,  this  beacon 
of  our  hopes  that  for  aught  we  knew  might  also  prove 
their  monument,  feeling  even  then  that  yonder  our  fate 
would  declare  itself.  I  noted  further  that  all  those  with 
us  did  it  reverence  by  bowing  their  heads  as  they  caught 
sight  of  the  peak,  and  by  laying  the  first  finger  of  the 
right  hand  across  the  first  finger  of  the  left,  a  gesture,  as 
we  afterwards  discovered,  designed  to  avert  its  evil  in 
fluence.  Yes,  even  Simbri  bowed,  a  yielding  to  inherited 
superstition  of  which  I  should  scarcely  have  suspected 
him. 

"  Have  you  ever  journeyed  to  that  Mountain?  "  asked 
Leo  of  him. 

Simbri  shook  his  head  and  answered  evasively. 

"  The  people  of  the  Plain  do  not  set  foot  upon  the 
Mountain.  Among  its  slopes  beyond  the  river  which 
washes  them,  live  hordes  of  brave  and  most  savage  men, 
with  whom  we  are  oftentimes  at  war ;  for  when  they  are 
hungry  they  raid  our  cattle  and  our  crops.  Moreover, 


THE   DEATH-HOUNDS  in 

there,  when  the  Mountain  labours,  run  red  streams  of 
molten  rock,  and  now  and  again  hot  ashes  fall  that  slay 
the  traveller." 

"  Do  the  ashes  ever  fall  in  your  country?  "  asked  Leo-. 

"  They  have  been  known  to  do  so  when  the  Spirit  of 
the  Mountain  is  angry,  and  that  is  why  we  fear  her." 

"  Who  is  this  Spirit  ?  "  said  Leo  eagerly. 

"  I  do  not  know,  lord,"  he  answered  with  impatience. 
"  Can  men  see  a  spirit  ?  " 

"  You  look  as  though  you  might,  and  had,  not  so  long 
ago,"  replied  Leo,  fixing  his  gaze  on  the  old  man's  wraxen 
face  and  uneasy  eyes.  For  now  their  horny  calm  was 
gone  from  the  eyes  of  Simbri,  which  seemed  as  though 
they  had  beheld  some  sight  that  haunted  him. 

"  You  do  me  too  much  honour,  lord,"  he  replied ;  "  my 
skill  and  vision  do  not  reach  so  far.  But  see,  here  is  the 
landing-stage,  where  boats  await  us,  for  the  rest  of  our 
journey  is  by  water." 

These  boats  proved  to  be  roomy  and  comfortable,  hav 
ing  flat  bows  and  sterns,  since,  although  sometimes  a  sail 
was  hoisted,  they  were  designed  for  towing,  not  to  be 
rowed  with  oars.  Leo  and  I  entered  the  largest  of  them, 
and  to  our  joy  were  left  alone  except  for  the  steersman. 

Behind  us  was  another  boat,  in  which  were  attendants 
and  slaves,  and  some  men  who  looked  like  soldiers,  for 
they  carried  bows  and  swords.  Now  the  ponies  were 
taken  from  the  palanquins,  that  were  packed  away,  and 
ropes  of  green  hide,  fastened  to  iron  rings  in  the  prows 
of  the  boats,  were  fixed  to  the  towing  tackle  with  which 
the  animals  had  been  reharnessed.  Then  we  started,  the 
ponies,  two  arranged  tandem  fashion  to  each  punt,  trot 
ting  along  a  well-made  towing  path  that  was  furnished 
with  wooden  bridges  wherever  canals  or  tributary  streams 
entered  the  main  river. 

"  Thank  Heaven,"  said  Leo,  "  we  are  together  again 
at  last !  Do  you  remember,  Horace,  that  when  we  entered 
the  land  of  Kor  it  was  thus,  in  a  boat  ?  The  tale  repeats 
itself." 


H2  AYES  HA 

"  I  can  quite  believe  it,"  I  answered.  "  I  can  believe 
anything.  Leo,  I  say  that  we  are  but  gnats  meshed  in  a 
web,  and  yonder  Khania  is  the  spider  and  Simbri  the 
Shaman  guards  the  net.  But  tell  me  all  you  remember  of 
what  has  happened  to  you,  and  be  quick,  for  I  do  not 
know  how  long  they  may  leave  us  alone." 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  of  course  I  remember  our  arrival 
at  that  Gate  after  the  lady  and  the  old  man  had  pulled  us 
out  of  the  river,  and,  Horace,  talking  of  spiders  reminds 
me  of  hanging  at  the  end  of  that  string  of  yak's  hide. 
Not  that  I  need  much  reminding,  for  I  am  not  likely  to 
forget  it.  Do  you  know  I  cut  the  rope  because  I  felt  that 
I  was  going  mad,  and  wished  to  die  sane.  What  happened 
to  you  ?  Did  you  slip  ?  " 

"  No;  I  jumped  after  you.  It  seemed  best  to  end  to 
gether,  so  that  we  might  begin  again  together." 

"  Brave  old  Horace !  "  he  said  affectionately,  the  tears 
starting  to  his  grey  eyes. 

"  Well,  never  mind  all  that,"  I  broke  in ;  "  you  see  you 
were  right  when  you  said  that  we  should  get  through,  and 
we  have.  Now  for  your  tale." 

"  It  is  interesting,  but  not  very  long,"  he  answered/ 
colouring.  "  I  went  to  sleep,  and  when  I  woke  it  was 
to  find  a  beautiful  woman  leaning  over  me,  and  Horace — 
at  first  I  thought  that  it  was — you  know  who,  and  that 
she  kissed  me ;  but  perhaps  it  was  all  a  dream." 

"  It  was  no  dream,"  I  answered.    "  I  saw  it." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  it — very  sorry.  At  any  rate  there 
was  the  beautiful  woman — the  Khania — for  I  saw  her 
plenty  of  times  afterwards,  and  talked  to  her  in  my  best 
modern  Greek — by  the  way,  Ayesha  knew  the  old  Greek; 
that's  curious." 

"  She  knew  several  of  the  ancient  tongues,  and  so  did 
other  people.  Go  on." 

.  "  Well,  she  nursed  me  very  kindly,  but,  so  far  as  I 
know,  until  last  night  there  was  nothing  more  affection 
ate,  and  I  had  sense  enough  to  refuse  to  talk  about  our 


THE   DEATH-HOUNDS  113 

somewhat  eventful  past.  I  pretended  not  to  understand, 
said  that  we  were  explorers,  etc.,  and  kept  asking  her 
where  you  were,  for  I  forgot  to  say  I  found  that  you  had 
gone.  I  think  that  she  grew  rather  angry  with  me,  for 
she  wanted  to  know  something,  and,  as  you  can  guess,  I 
wanted  to  know  a  good  deal.  But  I  could  get  nothing 
out  of  her  except  that  she  was  the  Khania — a  person  in 
authority.  There  was  no  doubt  about  that,  for  when  one 
of  those  slaves  or  servants  came  in  and  interrupted  her 
while  she  was  trying  to  draw  the  facts  out  of  me,  she 
called  to  some  of  her  people  to  throw  him  out  of  the 
window,  and  he  only  saved  himself  by  going  down  the 
stairs  very  quickly. 

"  Well,  I  could  make  nothing  of  her,  and  she  could 
make  little  of  me,  though  why  she  should  be  so  tenderly 
interested  in  a  stranger,  I  don't  know — unless,  unless — 
oh !  who  is  she,  Horace  ?  " 

"  If  you  will  go  on  I  will  tell  you  what  I  think  presently. 
One  tale  at  a  time." 

"  Very  good.  I  got  quite  well  and  strong,  comparatively 
speaking,  till  the  climax  last  night,  which  upset  me  again. 
After  that  old  prophet,  Simbri,  had  brought  me  my  sup 
per,  just  as  I  was  thinking  of  going  to  sleep,  the  Khania 
came  in  alone,  dressed  like  a  queen.  I  can  tell  you  she 
looked  really  royal,  like  a  princess  in  a  fairy  book,  with  a 
crown  on,  and  her  chestnut  black  hair  flowing  round  her. 

"  Well,  Horace,  then  she  began  to  make  love  to  me 
in  a  refined  sort  of  way,  or  so  I  thought,  looked  at  me  and 
sighed,  saying  that  we  had  known  each  other  in  the  past — 
very  well  indeed  I  gathered — and  implying  that  she 
wished  to  continue  our  friendship.  I  fenced  with  her  as 
best  I  could ;  but  a  man  feels  fairly  helpless  lying  on  his 
back  with  a  very  handsome  and  very  imperial-looking 
lady  standing  over  him  and  paying  him  compliments. 

"  The  end  of  it  was  that,  driven  to  it  by  her  questions 
and  to  stop  that  sort  of  thing,  I  told  her  that  I  was  look 
ing  for  my  wife,  whom  I  had  lost,  for,  after  all,  Ayesha  is 


/.i  4  A  YES  HA 

rny  wife,  Horace.  She  smiled  and  suggested  that  I  need 
wot  look  far;  in  short,  that  the  lost  wife  was  already 
found' — in  herself,  who  had  come  to  save  me  from  death 
m  the  river.  Indeed,  she  spoke  with  such  conviction  that 
I  grew  sure  that  she  was  not  merely  amusing  herself, 
2nd  felt  very  much  inclined  to  believe  her,  for,  after  all, 
Ayesha  may  be  changed  now. 

"  Then  while  I  was  at  my  wits'  end  I  remembered  the 
lock  of  hair — all  that  remains  to  us  of  her"  and  Leo 
touched  his  breast.  "  I  drew  it  out  and  compared  it  with 
the  Khania's,  and  at  the  sight  of  it  she  became  quite  dif 
ferent,  jealous,  I  suppose,  for  it  is  longer  than  hers,  and 
not  in  the  least  like. 

"  Horace,  I  tell  you  that  the  touch  of  that  lock  of  hair — 
for  she  did  touch  it — appeared  to  act  upon  her  "nature 
like  nitric  acid  upon  sham  gold.  It  turned  it  black;  all 
the  bad  in  her  came  out.  In  her  anger  her  voice  sounded 
coarse;  yes,  she  grew  almost  vulgar,  and,  as  you  know, 
when  Ayesha  was  in  a  rage  she  might  be  wicked  as  we 
understand  it,  and  was  certainly  terrible,  but  she  was 
never  either  coarse  or  vulgar,  any  more  than  lightning  is. 

"  Well,  from  that  moment  I  was  sure  that  whoever  this 
Khania  may  be,  she  had  nothing  to  do  with  Ayesha ;  they ' 
are  so  different  that  they  never  could  have  been  the  same 
— like  the  hair.  So  I  lay  quiet  and  let  her  talk,  and  coax, 
and  threaten  on,  until  at  length  she  drew  herself  up  and 
marched  from  the  room,  and  I  heard  her  lock  the  door 
behind  her.  That's  all  I  have  to  tell  you,  and  quite  enough 
too,  for  I  don't  think  that  the  Khania  has  done  with  me, 
and,  to  say  the  truth,  I  am  afraid  of  her." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  quite  enough.  Now  sit  still,  and  don't 
start  or  talk  loud,  for  that  steersman  is  probably  a  spy,  and 
I  can  feel  old  Simbri's  eyes  fixed  upon  our  backs.  Don't 
interrupt  either,  for  our  time  alone  may  be  short." 

Then  I  set  to  work  and  told  him  everything  I  knew, 
while  he  listened  in  blank  astonishment. 

"  Great  Heavens !  what  a  tale,"  he  exclaimed  as  I  fin- 


THE  DEATH-HOU&DS  115 

% 

ished.  "  Now,  who  is  this  Hesea  who  sent  the  letter 
from  the  Mountain  ?  And  who,  who  is  the  Khania  ?  " 

"  Who  does  your  instinct  tell  you  that  she  is,  Leo  ?  " 

"  Amenartas  ?  "  he  whispered  doubtfully.  "  The  woman 
who  wrote  the  Sherd,  whom  Ayesha  said  was  the  Egyp 
tian  princess — my  wife  two  thousand  years  ago  ?  Amen 
artas  re-born  ?  " 

I  nodded.  "I  think  so.  Why  not?  As  I  have  told 
you  again  and  again,  I  have  always  been  certain  of  one 
thing,  that  if  we  were  allowed  to  see  the  next  act  of  the 
piece,  we  should  find  Amenartas,  or  rather  the  spirit  of 
Amenartas,  playing  a  leading  part  in  it ;  you  will  remember 
I  wrote  as  much  in  that  record. 

"  If  the  old  Buddhist  monk  Kou-en  could  remember 
his  past,  as  thousands  of  them  swear  that  they  do,  and  be 
sure  of  his  identity  continued  from  that  past,  why  should 
not  this  woman,  with  so  much  at  stake,  helped  as  she  is 
by  the  wizardry  of  the  Shaman,  her  uncle,  faintly  re 
member  hers? 

"  At  any  rate,  Leo,  why  should  she  not  still  be  suffi 
ciently  under  its  influence  to  cause  her,  without  any  fault 
or  seeking  of  her  own,  to  fall  madly  in  love  at  first  sight 
with  a  man  whom,  after  all,  she  has  always  loved  ?  " 

"  The  argument  seems  sound  enough,  Horace,  and  if  so 
I  am  sorry  for  the  Khania,  who  hasn't  much  choice  in  the 
matter — been  forced  into  it,  so  to  speak." 

"  Yes,  but  meanwhile  your  foot  is  in  a  trap  again. 
Guard  yourself,  Leo,  guard  yourself.  I  believe  that  this  is 
a  trial  sent  to  you,  and  doubtless  there  will  be  more  to 
follow.  But  I  believe  also  that  it  would  be  better  for  you 
to  die  than  to  make  any  mistake." 

"  I  know  it  well,"  he  answered ;  "  and  you  need  not 
be  afraid.  Whatever  this  Khania  may  have  been  to  me 
in  the  past — if  she  was  anything  at  all — that  story  is  done 
with.  I  seek  Ayesha,  and  Ayesha  alone,  and  Venus  her 
self  shall  not  tempt  me  from  her." 

Then  we  began  to  speak  with  hope  and  fear  of  that 


n6  AYES  HA 

mysterious  Hesea  who  had  sent  the  letter  from  the  Moun 
tain,  commanding  the  Shaman  Simbri  to  meet  us :  the 
priestess  or  spirit  whom  he  declared  was  "  mighty  from  of 
old  "  and  had  "  servants  in  the  earth  and  air." 

Presently  the  prow  of  our  barge  bumped  against  the 
bank  of  the  river,  and  looking  round  I  saw  that  Simbri 
had  left  the  boat  in  which  he  sat  and  was  preparing  to 
enter  ours.  This  he  did,  and,  placing  himself  gravely  on 
a  seat  in  front  of  us,  explained  that  nightfall  was  coming 
on,  and  he  wished  to  give  us  his  company  and  protection 
through  the  dark. 

"  And  to  see  that  we  do  not  give  him  the  slip  in  it," 
muttered  Leo. 

Then  the  drivers  whipped  up  their  ponies,  and  we  went 
on  again. 

"  Look  behind  you,"  said  Simbri  presently,  "  and  you 
will  see  the  city  where  you  will  sleep  to-night." 

We  turned  ourselves,  and  there,  about  ten  miles  away, 
perceived  a  flat-roofed  town  of  considerable,  though  not 
of  very  great  size.  Its  position  was  good,  for  it  was  set 
upon  a  large  island  that  stood  a  hundred  feet  or  more 
above  the  level  of  the  plain,  the  river  dividing  into  two 
branches  at  the  foot  of  it,  and,  as  we  discovered  after 
wards,  uniting  again  beyond. 

The  vast  mound  upon  which  this  city  was  built  had  the 
appearance  of  being  artificial,  but  very  possibly  the  soil 
whereof  it  was  formed  had  been  washed  up  in  past  ages 
during  times  of  flood,  so  that  from  a  mudbank  in  the 
centre  of  the  broad  river  it  grew  by  degrees  to  its  present 
proportions.  With  the  exception  of  a  columned  and  tow 
ered  edifice  that  crowned  the  city  and  seemed  to  be  en 
circled  by  gardens,  we  could  see  no  great  buildings  in  the 
place. 

"  How  is  the  city  named  ?  "  asked  Leo  of  Simbri. 

"  Kaloon,"  he  answered,  "  as  was  all  this  land  even  when 
my  fore-fathers,  the  conquerors,  marched  across  the 
mountains  and  took  it  more  than  two  thousand  years  ago. 


THE   DEATH-HOUNDS  117 

They  kept  the  ancient  title,  but  the  territory  of  the  Moun 
tain  they  called  Hes,  because  they  said  that  the  loop  upon 
yonder  peak  was  the  symbol  of  a  goddess  of  this  name 
whom  their  general  worshipped." 

"  Priestesses  still  live  there,  do  they  not?"  said  Leo, 
trying  in  his  turn  to  extract  the  truth. 

"  Yes,  and  priests  also.  The  College  of  them  was  es 
tablished  by  "the  conquerors,  who  subdued  all  the  land.. 
Or  rather,  it  took  the  place  of  another  College  of  those 
who  fashioned  the  Sanctuary  and  the  Temple,  whose  god 
was  the  fire  in  the  Mountain,  as  it  is  that  of  the  people  of 
Kaloon  to-day." 

"  Then  who  is  worshipped  there  now  ?  " 

"  The  goddess  Hes,  it  is  said ;  but  we  know  little  of  the 
matter,  for  between  us  and  the  Mountain  folk  there  has 
been  enmity  for  ages.  They  kill  us  and  we  kill  them,  for 
they  are  jealous  of  their  shrine,  which  none  may  visit  save 
by  permission,  to  consult  the  Oracle  and  to  make  prayer 
or  offering  in  times  of  calamity,  when  a  Khan  dies,  or  the 
waters  of  the  river  sink  and  the  crops  fail,  or  when  ashes 
fall  and  earthquakes  shake  the  land,  or  great  sickness- 
comes.  Otherwise,  unless  they  attack  us,  we  leave  them 
alone,  for  though  every  man  is  trained  to  arms,  and  can 
fight  if  need  be,  we  are  a  peaceful  folk,  who  cultivate  the 
soil  from  generation  to  generation,  and  thus  grow  rich. 
Look  round  you.  Is  it  not  a  scene  of  peace  ?  " 

We  stood  up  in  the  boat  and  gazed  about  us  at  the 
pastoral  prospect.  Everywhere  appeared  herds  of  cattle 
feeding  upon  meadow  lands,  or  troops  of  mules  and 
horses,  or  square  fields  sown  with  corn  and  outlined  by 
trees.  Village  folk,  also,  clad  in  long,  grey  gowns,  were 
labouring  on  the  land,  or,  their  day's  toil  finished,  driving 
their  beasts  homewards  along  roads  built  upon  the  banks 
of  the  irrigation  dykes,  towards  the  hamlets  that  were 
placed  on  rising  knolls  amidst  tall  poplar  groves. 

In  its  sharp  contrast  with  the  arid  deserts  and  fearful 
mountains  amongst  which  we  had  wandered  for  so  many 


n8  A  YES  HA 

years,  this  country  struck  us  as  most  charming,  and  in 
deed,  seen  by  the  red  light  of  the  sinking  sun  on  that 
spring  day,  even  as  beautiful  with  the  same  kind  of  beauty 
which  is  to  be  found  in  Holland.  One  could  understand 
too  that  these  landowners  and  peasant-farmers  would  by 
choice  be  men  of  peace,  and  what  a  temptation  their 
wealth  must  offer  to  the  hungry,  half-savage  tribes  of  the 
mountains. 

Also  it  was  easy  to  guess  when  the  survivors  of  Alex 
ander's  legions  under  their  Egyptian  general  burst 
through  the  iron  band  of  snow-clad  hills  and  saw  this 
sweet  country,  with  its  homes,  its  herds,  and  its  ripening 
grain,  that  they  must  have  cried  with  one  voice,  "  We 
will  march  and  fight  and  toil  no  more.  Here  we  will  sit 
us  down  to  live  and  die."  Thus  doubtless  they  did,  tak> 
ing  them  wives  from  among  the  women  of  the  people  of 
the  land  which  they  had  conquered — perhaps  after  a  single 
battle. 

Now  as  the  light  faded  the  wreaths  of  smoke  which 
hung  over  the  distant  Fire-mountain  began  to  glow  lur 
idly.  Redder  and  more  angry  did  they  become  while 
the  darkness  gathered,  till  at  length  they  seemed  to  be 
charged  with  pulsing  sheets  of  flame  propelled  from  the 
womb  of  the  volcano,  which  threw  piercing  beams  of 
light  through  the  eye  of  the  giant  loop  that  crowned  its 
brow.  Far,  far  fled  those  beams,  making  a  bright  path 
across  the  land,  and  striking  the  white  crests  of  the  bor 
dering  wall  of  mountains.  High  in  the  air  ran  that  path, 
over  the  dim  roofs  of  the  city  of  Kaloon,  over  the  river, 
yes,  straight  above  us,  over  the  mountains,  and  doubtless 
— though  there  we  could  not  follow  them — across  the  des 
ert  to  that  high  eminence  on  its  farther  side  where  we  had 
lain  bathed  in  their  radiance.  It  was  a  wondrous  and  most 
impressive  sight,  one  too  that  filled  our  companions  with 
fear,  for  the  steersmen  in  our  boats  and  the  drivers  on  the 
towing-path  groaned  aloud  and  began  to  utter  prayers. 

"  What  do  they  say  ?  "  asked  Leo  of  Simbri. 


THE   DEATH-HOUNDS  119 

"  They  say,  lord,  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Mountain  is 
angry,  and  passes  down  yonder  flying  light  that  is  called 
the  Road  of  Hes  to  work  some  evil  to  our  land.  There 
fore  they  pray  her  not  to  destroy  them." 

"  Then  does  that  light  not  always  shine  thus  ? "  he 
asked  again. 

"  Nay,  but  seldom.  Once  about  three  months  ago,  and 
now  to-night,  but  before  that  not  for  years.  Let  us  pray 
that  it  portends  no  misfortune  to  Kaloon  and  its  inhab 
itants." 

For  some  minutes  this  fearsome  illumination  continued, 
then  it  ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had  begun,  and  there  re 
mained  of  it  only  the  dull  glow  above  the  crest  of  the 
peak. 

Presently  the  moon  rose,  a  white,  shining  ball,  and  by 
its  rays  we  perceived  that  we  drew  near  to  the  city.  But 
there  was  still  something  left  for  us  to  see  before  we 
reached  its  shelter.  While  we  sat  quietly  in  the  boat — 
for  the  silence  was  broken  only  by  the  lapping  of  the 
still  waters  against  its  sides  and  the  occasional  splash  of 
the  slackened  tow-line  upon  their  surface — we  heard  a 
distant  sound  as  of  a  hunt  in  full  cry. 

Nearer  and  nearer  it  came,  its  volume  swelling  every 
moment,  till  it  was  quite  close  at  last.  Now  echoing  from 
the  trodden  earth  of  the  towing-path — not  that  on  which 
our  ponies  travelled,  but  the  other  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river — was  heard  the  beat  of  the  hoofs  of  a  horse  gallop 
ing  furiously.  Presently  it  appeared,  a  fine,  white  animal, 
on  the  back  of  which  sat  a  man.  It  passed  us  like  a  flash, 
but  as  he  went  by  the  man  lifted  himself  and  turned  his 
head,  so  that  we  saw  his  face  in  the  moonlight ;  saw  also 
the  agony  of  fear  that  was  written  on  it  and  in  his  eyes. 

He  had  come  out  of  the  darkness.  He  was  gone  into 
the  darkness,  but  after  him  swelled  that  awful  music. 
Look !  a  dog  appeared,  a  huge,  red  dog,  that  dropped  its 
foaming  muzzle  to  the  ground  as  it  galloped,  then  lifted 
it  and  uttered  a  deep-throated,  bell-like  bay.  Others  fol- 


120  AYESHA 

lowed,  and  yet  others :  in  all  there  must  have  been  a  hun 
dred  of  them,  every  one  baying  as  it  took  the  scent. 

"  The  death-hounds!"  I  muttered,  clasping  Leo  by  the 
arm.  , 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  they  are  running  that  poor  devil. 
Here  comes  the  huntsman." 

As  he  spoke  there  appeared  a  second  figure,  splendidly 
mounted,  a  cloak  streaming  from  his  shoulders,  and  in 
his  hand  a  long  whip,  which  he  waved.  He  was  big  but 
loosely  jointed,  and  as  he  passed  he  turned  his  face  also, 
and  we  saw  that  it  was  that  of  a  madman.  There  could 
be  no  doubt  of  it ;  insanity  blazed  in  those  hollow  eyes  and 
rang  in  that  savage,  screeching  laugh. 

"  The  Khan !  The  Khan !  "  said  Simbri,  bowing,  and  I 
could  see  that  he  was  afraid. 

Now  he  too  was  gone,  and  after  him  came  his  guards.  I 
counted  eight  of  them,  all  carrying  whips,  with  which 
they  flogged  their  horses. 

"  What  does  this  mean,  friend  Simbri  ? "  I  asked,  as 
the  sounds  grew  faint  in  the  distance. 

"  It  means,  friend  Holly,"  he  answered,  "  that  the  Khan 
does  justice  in  his  own  fashion — hunting  to  death  one 
that  has  angered  him." 

"  What  then  is  his  crime  ?  And  who  is  that  poor  man  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  great  lord  of  this  land,  one  of  the  royal  kins 
men,  and  the  crime  for  which  he  has  been  condemned  is 
that  he  told  the  Khania  he  loved  her,  and  offered  to  make 
war  upon  her  husband  and  kill  him,  if  she  would  promise 
herself  to  him  in  marriage.  But  she  hated  the  man,  as 
she  hates  all  men,  and  brought  the  matter  before  the 
Khan.  That  is  all  the  story." 

"  Happy  is  that  prince  who  has  so  virtuous  a  wife !  "  I 
could  not  help  saying  unctuously,  but  with  meaning,  and 
the  old  wretch  of  a  Shaman  turned  his  head  at  my  words 
and  began  to  stroke  his  white  beard. 

It  was  but  a  little  while  afterwards  that  once  more  we 
heard  the  baying  of  the  death-hounds.  Yes,  they  were 


THE   DEATH-HOUNDS  121 

heading  straight  for  us,  this  time  across  country.  Again 
the  white  horse  and  its  rider  appeared,  utterly  exhausted, 
both  of  them,  for  the  poor  beast  could  scarcely  struggle 
on  to  the  towing-path.  As  it  gained  it  a  great  red  hound 
with  a  black  ear  gripped  its  flank,  and  at  the  touch  of  the 
fangs  it  screamed  aloud  in  terror  as  only  a  horse  can.  The 
rider  sprang  from  its  back,  and,  to  our  horror,  ran  to  the 
river's  edge,  thinking  evidently  to  take  refuge  in  our  boat. 
But  before  ever  he  reached  the  water  the  devilish  brutes 
were  upon  him. 

What  followed  I  will  not  describe,  but  never  shall  I  for 
get  the  scene  of  those  two  heaps  of  worrying  wolves,  and 
of  the  maniac  Khan,  who  yelled  in  his  fiendish  joy,  and 
cheered  on  his  death-hounds  to  finish  their  red  work. 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE   COURT   OF   KALOON 

HORRIFIED,  sick  at  heart,  we  continued  our  journey.  No 
wonder  that  the  Khania  hated  such  a  mad  despot.  And 
this  woman  was  in  love  with  Leo,  and  this  lunatic  Khan, 
her  husband,  was  a  victim  to  jealousy,  which  he  avenged 
after  the  very  unpleasant  fashion  that  we  had  witnessed. 
Truly  an  agreeable  prospect  for  all  of  us !  Yet,  I  could 
not  help  reflecting,  as  an  object  lesson  that  horrid  scene 
had  its  advantages. 

Now  we  reached  the  place  where  the  river  forked  at 
the  end  of  the  island,  and  disembarked  upon  a  quay. 
Here  a  guard  of  men  commanded  by  some  Household 
officer,  was  waiting  to  receive  us.  They  led  us  through  a 
gate  in  the  high  wall,  for  the  town  was  fortified,  up  a 
narrow,  stone-paved  street  which  ran  between  houses  ap 
parently  of  the  usual  Central  Asian  type,  and,  so  far  as  I 
could  judge  by  moonlight,  with  no  pretensions  to  archi 
tectural  beauty,  and  not  large  in  size. 

Clearly  our  arrival  was  expected  and  excited  interest, 
for  people  were  gathered  in  knots  about  the  street  to  watch 
us  pass ;  also  at  the  windows  of  the  houses  and  even  on 
their  flat  roofs.  At  the  top  of  the  long  street  was  a  sort 
of  market  place,  crossing  which,  accompanied  by  a  curious 
crowd  who  made  remarks  about  us  that  we  could  not 
understand,  we  reached  a  gate  in  an  inner  wall.  Here 
we  were  challenged,  but  at  a  word  from  Simbri  it  opened, 
and  we  passed  through  to  find  ourselves  in  gardens.  Fol 
lowing  a  road  or  drive,  we  came  to  a  large,  rambling 
house  or  palace,  surmounted  by  high  towers  and  very 
solidly  built  of  stone  in  a  heavy,  bastard  Egyptian  style. 


122 


THE    COURT    OF   KALOON  123 

Beyond  its  doorway  we  found  ourselves  in  a  courtyard 
surrounded  by  a  kind  of  verandah  from  which  short  pas 
sages  led  to  different  rooms.  Down  one  of  these  passages 
we  were  conducted  by  the  officer  to  an  apartment,  or 
rather  a  suite,  consisting  of  a  sitting  and  two  bed-cham 
bers,  which  were  panelled,  richly  furnished  in  rather  bar 
baric  fashion,  and  well-lighted  with  primitive  oil  lamps. 

Here  Simbri  left  us,  saying  that  the  officer  would  wait 
in  the  outer  room  to  conduct  us  to  the  dining-hall  as  soon 
as  we  were  ready.  Then  we  entered  the  bed-chambers, 
where  we  found  servants,  or  slaves,  quiet-mannered,  obse 
quious  men.  These  valets  changed  our  foot-gear,  and 
taking  off  our  heavy  travelling  robes,  replaced  them  with 
others  fashioned  like  civilized  frock-coats,  but  made  of 
some  white  material  and  trimmed  with  a  beautiful  ermine 
fur. 

Having  dressed  us  in  these  they  bowed  to  show  that 
our  toilette  was  finished,  and  led  us  to  the  large  outer 
room  where  the  officer  awaited  us.  He  conducted  us 
through  several  other  rooms,  all  of  them  spacious  and 
apparently  unoccupied,  to  a  great  hall  lit  with  many  lamps 
and  warmed — for  the  nights  were  still  cold — with  large 
peat  fires.  The  roof  of  this  hall  was  flat  and  supported  by 
thick,  stone  columns  with  carved  capitals,  and  its  walls 
were  hung  with  worked  tapestries,  that  gave  it  an  air  of 
considerable  comfort. 

At  the  head  of  the  hall  on  a  dais  stood  a  long,  narrow 
table,  spread  with  a  cloth  a»d  set  with  platters  and  cups 
of  silver.  Here  we  waited  till  butlers  with  wands  ap 
peared  through  some  curtains  which  they  drew.  Then 
came  a  man  beating  a  silver  gong,  and  after  him  a  dozen 
or  more  courtiers,  all  dressed  in  white  robes  like  our 
selves,  followed  by  perhaps  as  many  ladies,  some  of  them 
young  and  good-looking,  and  for  the  most  part  of  a  fair 
type,  with  well-cut  features,  though  others  were  rather 
yellow-skinned.  They  bowed  to  us  and  we  to  them. 

Then  there  was  a  pause  while  we  studied  one  another. 


I24  A  YES  HA 

till  a  trumpet  blew  and  heralded  by  footmen  in  a  kind  of 
yellow  livery,  two  figures  were  seen  advancing  down  the 
passage  beyond  the  curtains,  preceded  by  the  Shaman 
Simbri  and  followed  by  other  officers.  They  were  the 
Khan  and  the  Khania  of  Kaloon. 

No  one  looking  at  this  Khan  as  he  entered  his  dining- 
hall  clad  in  festal  white  attire  would  have  imagined  him  to 
be  the  same  raving  human  brute  whom  we  had  just  seen 
urging  on  his  devilish  hounds  to  tear  a  fellow-creature 
and  a  helpless  horse  to  fragments  and  devour  them.  Now 
he  seemed  a  heavy,  loutish  man,  very  strongly  built  and 
not  ill-looking,  but  with  shifty  eyes,  evidently  a  person  of 
dulled  intellect,  whom  one  would  have  thought  incapable 
of  keen  emotions  of  any  kind.  The  Khania  need  not  be 
described.  She  was  as  she  had  been  in  the  chambers  of 
the  Gate,  only  more  weary  looking;  indeed  her  eyes  had 
a  haunted  air  and  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the  events  of 
the  previous  night  had  left  their  mark  upon  her  mind. 
At  the  sight  of  us  she  flushed  a  little,  then  beckoned  to  us 
to  advance,  and  said  to  her  husband — 

"  My  lord,  these  are  the  strangers  of  whom  I  have  told 
you." 

His  dull  eyes  fell  upon  me  first,  and  my  appearance 
seemed  to  amuse  him  vaguely,  at  any  rate  he  laughed 
rudely,  saying  in  barbarous  Greek  mixed  with  words  from 
the  local  patois — 

"  What  a  curious  old  animal !  I  have  never  seen  you 
before,  have  I  ? " 

"  No,  great  Khan,"  I  answered,  "  but  I  have  seen  you 
out  hunting  this  night.  Did  you  have  good  sport  ?  " 

Instantly  he  became  wide  awake,  and  answered,  rub 
bing  his  hands — 

"  Excellent.  He  gave  us  a  fine  run,  but  my  little  dogs 

caught  him  at  last,  and  then "  and  he  snapped  his 

powerful  jaws  together. 

"  Cease  your  brutal  talk,"  broke  in  his  wife  fiercely, 
and  he  slunk  away  from  her  and  in  so  doing  stumbled 
against  Leo,  who  was  waiting  to  be  presented  to  him. 


THE    COURT   OF   KALOON  125 

The  sight  of  this  great,  golden-bearded  man  seemed  to 
astonish  him,  for  he  stared  at  him,  then  asked — 

"  Are  you  the  Khania's  other  friend  whom  she  went  to 
see  in  the  mountains  of  the  Gate  ?  Then  I  could  not  un 
derstand  why  she  took  so  much  trouble,  but  now  I  do. 
Well,  be  careful,  or  I  shall  have  to  hunt  you  also." 

Now  Leo  grew  angry  and  was  about  to  reply,  but  I 
laid  my  hand  upon  his  arm  and  said  in  English — 

"  Don't  answer ;  the  man  is  mad." 

"  Bad,  you  mean,"  grumbled  Leo ;  "  and  if  he  tries  to  set 
his  cursed  dogs  on  me,  I  will  break  his  neck." 

Then  the  Khania  motioned  to  Leo  to  take  a  seat  be 
side  her,  placing  me  upon  her  other  hand,  between  her 
self  and  her  uncle,  the  Guardian,  while  the  Khan  shuffled 
to  a  chair  a  little  way  down  the  table,  where  he  called  two 
of  the  prettiest  ladies  to  keep  him  company. 

Such  was  our  introduction  to  the  court  of  Kaloon.  As 
for  the  meal  that  followed,  it  was  very  plentiful,  but 
coarse,  consisting  for  the  most  part  of  fish,  mutton,  and 
sweetmeats,  all  of  them  presented  upon  huge  silver  plat 
ters.  Also  much  strong  drink  was  served,  a  kind  of  spirit 
distilled  from  grain,  of  which  nearly  all  present  drank 
more  than  was  good  for  them.  After  a  few  words  to 
me  about  our  journey,  the  Khania  turned  to  Leo  and 
talked  to  him  for  the  rest  of  the  evening,  while  I  devoted 
myself  to  the  old  Shaman  Simbri. 

Put  briefly,  the  substance  of  what  I  learned  from  him 
then  and  afterwards  was  as  follows — 

Trade  was  unknown  to  the  people  of  Kaloon,  for  the 
reason  that  all  communication  with  the  south  had  been 
cut  off  for  ages,  the  bridges  that  once  existed  over  the 
chasm  having  been  allowed  to  rot  away.  Their  land, 
which  was  very  large  and  densely  inhabited,  was  ringed 
round  with  unclimbable  mountains,  except  to  the  north, 
where  stood  the  great  Fire-peak.  The  slopes  of  this  Peak 
and  an  unvisited  expanse  of  country  behind  that  ran  up 
to  the  confines  of  a  desert,  were  the  home  of  ferocious 


126  'A  YES  HA 

mountain  tribes,  untamable  Highlanders,  who  killed  every 
stranger  they  caught.  Consequently,  although  the  pre 
cious  and  other  metals  were  mined  to  a  certain  extent 
and  manufactured  into  articles  of  use  and  ornament, 
money  did  not  exist  among  the  peoples  either  of  the  Plain 
or  of  the  Mountain,  all  business  being  transacted  on  the 
principle  of  barter,  and  even  the  revenue  collected  in  kind. 

Amongst  the  tens  of  thousands  of  the  aborigines  of 
Kaloon  dwelt  a  mere  handful  of  a  ruling  class,  who  were 
said  to  be — and  probably  were — descended  from  the  con 
querors  that  appeared  in  the  time  of  Alexander.,  Their 
blood,  however,  was  now  much  mixed  with  that  of  the  first 
inhabitants,  who,  to  judge  from  their  appearance  and 
the  yellow  hue  of  their  descendants  must  have  belonged 
to  some  branch  of  the  great  Tartar  race.  The  govern 
ment,  if  so  it  could  be  called,  was,  on  the  whole,  of  a  mild 
though  of  a  very  despotic  nature,  and  vested  in. an  heredi 
tary  Khan  or  Khania,  according  as  a  man  or  a  woman 
might  be  in  the  most  direct  descent. 

Of  religions  there  were  two,  that  of  the  people,  who 
worshipped  the  Spirit  of  the  Fire  Mountain,  and  that  of 
the  rulers,  who  believed  in  magic,  ghosts  and  divinations. 
Even  this  shadow  of  a  religion,  if  so  it  can  be  called,  was 
dying  out,  like  its  followers,  for  generation  by  genera 
tion,  the  white  lords  grew  less  in  number  or  became  ab 
sorbed  in  the  bulk  of  the  people. 

Still  their  rule  was  tolerated.  I  asked  Simbri  why, 
seeing  that  they  were  so  few.  He  shrugged  his  shoulders 
and  answered,  because  it  suited  the  country  of  which  the 
natives  had  no  ambition.  Moreover,  the  present  Khania, 
our  hostess,  was  the  last  of  the  direct  line  of  rulers,  her 
husband  and  cousin  having  less  of  the  blood  royal  in  his 
veins,  and  as  such  the  people  were  attached  to  her. 

Also,  as  is  commonly  the  case  with  bold  and  beautiful 
women,  she  was  popular  among  them,  especially  as  she 
was  just  and  very  liberal  to  the  poor.  These  were  many, 
as  the  country  was  over-populated,  which  accounted  for 


THE    COURT    OF   KALOON  127 

its  wonderful  state  of  cultivation.  Lastly  they  trusted  to 
her  skill  and  courage  to  defend  them  from  the  continual 
attacks  of  the  Mountain  tribes  who  raided  their  crops  and 
herds.  Their  one  grievance  against  her  was  that  she  had 
no  child  to  whom  the  khanship  could  descend,  which 
meant  that  after  her  death,  as  had  happened  after  that  of 
her  father,  there  would  be  struggles  for  the  succession. 

"  Indeed/'  added  Simbri,  with  meaning,  and  glancing 
at  Leo,  out  of  the  corners  of  his  eyes,  "  the  folk  say  openly 
that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  the  Khan,  who  oppresses 
them  and  whom  they  hate,  should  die,  so  that  the  Khania 
might  take  another  husband  while  she  is  still  young.  Al 
though  he  is  mad,  he  knowrs  this,  and  that  is  why  he  is  so 
jealous  of  any  lord  who  looks  at  her,  as,  friend  Holly  you 
saw  to-night.  >  For  should  such  an  one  gain  her  favour, 
Rassen  thinks  that  it  would  mean  his  death." 

"  Also  he  may  be  attached  to  his  wife,"  I  suggested, 
speaking  in  a  whisper. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  answered  Simbri ;  "  but  if  so,  she  loves 
not  him,  nor  any  of  these  men,"  and  he  glanced  round  the 
hall. 

Certainly  they  did  not  look  lovable,  for  by  this  time 
most  of  them  were  half  drunk,  while  even  the  wromen 
seemed  to  have  taken  as  much  as  was  good  for  them. 
The  Khan  himself  presented  a  sorry  spectacle,  for  he  was 
leaning  back  in  his  chair,  shouting  something  about  his 
hunting,  in  a  thick  voice.  The  arm  of  one  of  his  pretty 
companions  was  round  his  neck,  while  the  other  gave  him 
to  drink  from  a  gold  cup ;  some  of  the  contents  of  which 
had  been  spilt  down  his  white  robe. 

Just  then  Atene  looked  round  and  saw  him  and  an  ex 
pression  of  hatred  and  contempt  gathered  on  her  beautiful 
face. 

"  See,"  I  heard  her  say  to  Leo,  "  see  the  companion  of 
my  days,  and  learn  wrhat  it  is  to  be  Khania  of  Kaloon." 

"  Then  why  do  you  not  cleanse  your  court?  "  he  asked. 

"  Because,  lord,  if  I  did  so  there  would  be  no  court  left. 


128  A  YES  HA 

Swine  will  to  their  mire  and  these  men  and  women,  who 
live  in  idleness  upon  the  toil  of  the  humble  folk,  will  to 
their  liquor  and  vile  luxury.  Well,  the  end  is  near,  for  it 
is  killing  them,  and  their  children  are  but  few ;  weakly  also, 
for  the  ancient  blood  grows  thin  and  stale.  But  you  are 
weary  and  would  rest.  To-morrow  we  will  ride  together," 
and  calling  to  an  officer,  she  bade  him  conduct  us  to  our 
rooms. 

So  we  rose,  and,  accompanied  by  Simbri,  bowed  to  her 
and  went,  she  standing  and  gazing  after  us,  a  royal  and 
pathetic  figure  in  the  midst  of  all  that  dissolute  revelry. 
The  Khan  rose  also,  and  in  his  cunning  fashion  under 
stood  something  of  the  meaning  of  it  all. 

"  You  think  us  gay,"  he  shouted ;  "  and  why  should  we 
not  be  who  do  not  know  how  long  we  have  to  live  ?  But 
you  yellow-haired  fellow,  you  must  not  let  Atene  look  at 
you  like  that.  I  tell  you  she  is  my  wife,  and  if  you  do,  I 
shall  certainly  have  to  hunt  you." 

At  this  drunken  sally  the  courtiers  roared  with  laughter, 
but  taking  Leo  by  the  arm  Simbri  hurried  him  from  the 
hall. 

"  Friend  ?  "  said  Leo,  when  we  were  outside,  "  it  seems 
to  me  that  this  Khan  of  yours  threatens  my  life." 

"  Have  no  fear,  lord,"  answered  the  Guardian ; 
"  so  long  as  the  Khania  does  not  threaten  it  you  are 
safe.  She  is  the  real  ruler  of  this  land,  and  I  stand  next 
to  her." 

"  Then  I  pray  you,"  said  Leo,  "  keep  me  out  of  the 
way  of  that  drunken  man,  for,  look  you,  if  I  am  attacked 
I  defend  myself." 

"  And  who  can  blame  you  ?  "  Simbri  replied  with  one  of 
his  slow,  mysterious  smiles. 

Then  we  parted,  and  having  placed  both  our  beds  in 
one  chamber,  slept  soundly  enough,  for  we  were  very 
tired,  till  we  were  awakened  in  the  morning  by  the  baying 
of  those  horrible  death-hounds,  being  fed,  I  suppose,  in 
a  place  near  by. 


THE    COURT   OF   KALOON  129 

Now  in  this  city  of  Kaloon  it  was  our  weary  destiny 
to  dwell  for  three  long  months,  one  of  the  most  hateful 
Jimes,  perhaps,  that  we  ever  passed  in  all  our  lives.  In 
deed,  compared  to  it  our  endless  wanderings  amid  the 
Central  Asia  snows  and  deserts  were  but  pleasure  pil 
grimages,  and  our  stay  at  the  monastery  beyond  the 
mountains  a  sojourn  in  Paradise.  To  set  out  its  record  in 
full  would  be  both  tedious  and  useless,  so  I  will  only  tell 
briefly  of  our  principal  adventures. 

On  the  morrow  of  our  arrival  the  Khania  Atene  sent 
us  two  beautiful  white  horses  of  pure  and  ancient  blood, 
and  at  noon  we  mounted  them  and  went  out  to  ride  with 
her  accompanied  by  a  guard  of  soldiers.  First  she  led 
us  to  the  kennels  where  the  death-hounds  were  kept,  great 
flagged  courts  surrounded  by  iron  bars,  in  which  were 
narrow,  locked  gates.  Never  had  I  seen  brutes  so  large 
and  fierce;  the  mastiffs  of  Thibet  were  but  as  lap-dogs 
compared  to  them.  They  were  red  and  black,  smooth- 
coated  and  with  a  blood-hound  head,  and  the  moment 
they  saw  us  they  came  ravening  and  leaping  at  the  bars 
as  an  angry  wave  leaps  against  a  rock. 

These  hounds  were  in  the  charge  of  men  of  certain  fami 
lies,  who  had  tended  them  for  generations.  They  obeyed 
their  keepers  and  the  Khan  readily  enough,  but  no  stranger 
might  venture  near  them.  Also  these  brutes  were  the 
executioners  of  the  land,  for  to  them  all  murderers  and 
other  criminals  were  thrown,  and  with  them,  as  we  had 
seen,  the  Khan  hunted  any  who  had  incurred  his  dis 
pleasure.  Moreover,  they  were  used  for  a  more  innocent 
purpose,  the  chasing  of  certain  great  bucks  which  were 
preserved  in  woods  and  swamps  of  reeds.  Thus  it  came 
about  that  they  were  a  terror  to  the  country,  since  no  man 
knew  but  what  in  the  end  he  might  be  devoured  by  them. 
"Going  to  the  dogs"  is  a  term  full  of  meaning  in  any- 
land,  but  in  Kaloon  it  had  a  significance  that  was  terrible. » 

After  we  had  looked  at  the  hounds,  not  without  a 
prophetic  shudder,  we  rode  round  the  walls  of  the  town, 


130  AYES  HA 

which  were  laid  out  as  a  kind  of  boulevard,  where  the 
inhabitants  walked  and  took  their  pleasure  in  the  even 
ings.  On  these,  however,  there  was  not  much  to  see  ex 
cept  the  river  beneath  and  the  plain  beyond,  moreover, 
though  they  were  thick  and  high  there  were  places  in 
them  that  must  be  passed  carefully,  for,  like  everything 
else  with  which  the  effete  ruling  class  had  to  do,  they  had 
been  allowed  to  fall  into  disrepair. 

The  town  itself  was  an  uninteresting  place  also,  for  the 
most  part  peopled  by  hangers-on  of  the  Court.  So  we 
were  not  sorry  when  we  crossed  the  river  by  a  high- 
pitched  bridge,  where  in  days  to  come  I  was  destined 
to  behold  one  of  the  strangest  sights  ever  seen  my  mortal 
man,  and  rode  out  into  the  country.  Here  all  was  differ 
ent,  for  we  found  ourselves  among  the  husbandmen,  who 
were  the  descendants  of  the  original  owners  of  the  land 
and  lived  upon  its  produce.  Every  available  inch  of  soil 
seemed  to  be  cultivated  by  the  aid  of  a  wonderful  system 
of  irrigation.  Indeed  water  was  lifted  to  levels  where  it 
would  not  flow  naturally,  by  means  of  wheels  turned  with 
mules,  or  even  in  some  places  carried  up  by  the  women, 
who  bore  poles  on  their  shoulders  to  which  were  balanced 
buckets. 

Leo  asked  the  Khania  what  happened  if  there  was  a  bad 
season.  She  replied  grimly  that  famine  happened,  in 
which  thousands  of  people  perished,  and  that  after  the 
famine  came  pestilence.  These  famines  were  periodical, 
and  were  it  not  for  them,  she  added,  the  people  would 
long  ago  have  been  driven  to  kill  each  other  like  hungry 
rats,  since  having  no  outlet  and  increasing  so  rapidly,  the 
land,  large  as  it  wras,  could  not  hold  them  all. 

"  Will  this  be  a  good  year?  "  I  asked. 

"  It  is  feared  not,"  she  answered,  "  for  the  river  has 
not  risen  well  and  but  few  rains  have  fallen.  Also  the 
light  that  shone  last  night  on  the  Fire-mountain  is  thought 
a  bad  omen,  which  means,  they  say,  that  the  Spirit  of  the 
Mountain  is  angry  and  that  drought  will  follow.  Let  us 


THE    COURT   OF   KALOON  131 

hope  they  will  not  say  also  that  this  is  because  strangers 
have  visited  the  land,  bringing  with  them  bad  luck." 

"  If  so/'  said  Leo  with  a  laugh,  "  we  shall  have  to  fly  f 
to  the  Mountain  to  take  refuge  there." 

"  Do  you  then  wish  to  take  refuge  in  death  ? "  she 
asked  darkly.  "  Of  this  be  sure,  my  guests,  that  never 
while  I  live  shall  you  be  allowed  to  cross  the  river  which 
borders  the  slopes  of  yonder  peak." 

"Why  not,  Khania?" 

"  Because,  my  lord  Leo — that  is  your  name,  is  it  not  ? — 
such  is  my  will,  and  while  I  rule  here  my  will  is  law. 
Come,  let  us  turn  homewards." 

That  night  we  did  not  eat  in  the  great  hall,  but  in  the 
room  which  adjoined  our  bed-chambers.  We  were  not 
left  alone,  however,  for  the  Khania  and  her  uncle,  the 
Shaman,  who  always  attended  her,  joined  our  meal. 
When  we  greeted  them  wondering,  she  said  briefly  that  it 
was  arranged  thus  because  she  refused  to  expose  us  to 
more  insults.  She  added  that  a  festival  had  begun  which 
would  last  for  a  week,  and  that  she  did  not  wish  us  to  see 
how  vile  were  the  ways  of  her  people. 

That  evening  and  many  others  which  followed  it — we 
never  dined  in  the  central  hall  again — passed  pleasantly 
enough,  for  the  Khania  made  Leo  tell  her  of  England 
where  he  was  born,  and  of  the  lands  that  he  had  visited, 
their  peoples  and  customs.  I  spoke  also  of  the  history  of 
Alexander,  whose  general  Rassen,  her  far-off  forefather, 
conquered  the  country  of  Kaloon,  and  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  whence  the  latter  came,  and  so  it  went  on  till  mid 
night,  while  Atene  listened  to  us  greedily,  her  eyes  fixed 
always  on  Leo's  face. 

Many  such  nights  did  we  spend  thus  in  the  palace  of 
the  city  of  Kaloon  where,  in  fact,  we  were  close  prisoners. 
But  oh !  the  days  hung  heavy  on  our  hands.  If  we  went 
into  the  courtyard  or  reception  rooms  of  the  palace,  the 
lords  and  their  followers  gathered  round  us  and  pestered 


132  A  YES  HA 

us  with  questions,  for,  being  very  idle,  they  were  also 
very  curious. 

Also  the  women,  some  of  whom  were  fair  enough,  be 
gan  to  talk  to  us  on  this  pretext  or  on  that,  and  did  their 
best  to  make  love  to  Leo ;  for,  in  contrast  with  their  slim, 
delicate-looking  men,  they  found  this  deep-chested,  yel 
low-haired  stranger  to  their  taste.  Indeed  they  troubled 
him  much  with  gifts  of  flowers  and  messages  sent  by 
servants  or  soldiers,  making  assignations  with  him,  which 
of  course  he  did  not  keep. 

If  we  went  out  into  the  streets,  matters  were  as  bad,  for 
then  the  people  ceased  from  their  business,  such  as  it  was, 
and  followed  us  about,  staring  at  us  till  we  took  refuge 
again  in  the  palace  gardens. 

There  remained,  therefore,  only  our  rides  in  the  coun 
try  with  the  Khania,  but  after  three  or  four  of  them,  these 
came  to  an  end  owing  to  the  jealousy  of  the  Khan,  who 
vowed  that  if  we  went  out  together  any  more  he  would 
follow  with  the  death-hounds.  So  we  must  ride  alone,  if 
at  all,  in  the  centre  of  a  large  guard  of  soldiers  sent  to 
see  that  we  did  not  attempt  to  escape,  and  accompanied 
very  often  by  a  mob  of  peasants,  who  with  threats  and 
entreaties  demanded  that  we  should  give  back  the  rain 
which  they  said  we  had  taken  from  them.  For  now  the 
great  drought  had  begun  in  earnest. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  at  length  our  only  resource 
was  making  pretence  to  fish  in  the  river,  where  the  water 
was  so  clear  and  low  that  we  could  catch  nothing,  watch 
ing  the  while  the  Fire-mountain,  that  loomed  in  the  dis 
tance  mysterious  and  unreachable,  and  vainly  racking  our 
brains  for  plans  to  escape  thither,  or  at  least  to  communi 
cate  with  its  priestess,  of  whom  we  could  learn  no  more. 

For  two  great  burdens  lay  upon  our  souls.  The  burden 
of  desire  to  continue  our  search  and  to  meet  with  its  re 
ward  which  we  were  sure  that  we  should  pluck  amid  the 
snows  of  yonder  peak,  if  we  could  but  come  there ;  and 
the  burden  of  approaching  catastrophe  at  the  hands  of  the 


THE    COURT   OF.   KALOON  133 

Khania  Atene.  She  had  made  no  love  to  Leo  since  that 
night  in  the  Gateway,  and,  indeed,  even  if  she  had  wished 
to,  this  would  have  been  difficult,  since  I  took  care  that  he 
was  never  left  for  one  hour  alone.  No  duenna  could  have 
clung  to  a  Spanish  princess  more  closely  than  I  did  to  Leo. 
Yet  I  could  see  well  that  her  passion  was  no  whit 
abated ;  that  it  grew  day  by  day,  indeed,  as  the  fire  swells 
in  the  heart  of  a  volcano,  and  that  soon  it  must  break  loose 
and  spread  its  ruin  round.  The  omen  of  it  was  to  be  read 
in  her  words,  her  gestures,  and  her  tragic  eyes. 


CHAPTER   X 

IN  THE  SHAMAN'S  CHAMBER 

ONE  night  Simbri  asked  us  to  dine  with  him  in  his  own 
apartments  in  the  highest  tower  of  the  palace — had  we 
but  known  it,  for  us  a  fateful  place  indeed,  for  here  the 
last  act  of  the  mighty  drama  was  destined  to  be  fulfilled. 
So  we  went,  glad  enough  of  any  change.  When  we  had 
eaten  Leo  grew  very  thoughtful,  then  said  suddenly — 

"  Friend  Simbri,  I  wish  to  ask  a  favour  of  you — that 
you  will  beg  the  Khania  to  let  us  go  our  ways." 

Instantly  the  Shaman's  cunning  old  face  became  like  a 
mask  of  ivory. 

"  Surely  you  had  better  ask  your  favours  of  the  lady 
herself,  lord ;  I  do  not  think  that  any  in  reason  will  be  re 
fused  to  you,"  he  replied. 

"  Let  us  stop  fencing,"  said  Leo,  "  and  consider  the 
facts.  It  has  seemed  to  me  that  the  Khania  Atene  is  not 
happy  with  her  husband." 

"  Your  eyes  are  very  keen,  lord,  and  who  shall  say  that 
they  have  deceived  you  ?  " 

"  It  has  seemed,  further,"  went  on  Leo,  reddening, 
"  that  she  has  been  so  good  as  to  look  on  me  with — some 
undeserved  regard." 

"  Ah !  perhaps  you  guessed  that  in  the  Gate-house  yon 
der,  if  you  have  not  forgotten  what  most  men  would  re 
member." 

"  I  remember  certain  things,  Simbri,  that  have  to  do 
with  her  and  you." 

The  Shaman  only  stroked  his  beard  and  said :  "  Pro 
ceed!" 

134 


IN    THE   SHAMAN'S   CHAMBER         135 

"  There  is  little  to  add,  Simbri,  except  that  I  am  not 
minded  to  bring  scandal  on  the  name  of  the  first  lady  in 
your  land." 

"  Nobly  said,  lord,  nobly  said,  though  here  they  do  not 
trouble  much  about  such  things.  But  how  if  the  matter 
could  be  managed  without  scandal  ?  If,  for  instance,  the 
Khania  chose  to  take  another  husband  the  whole  land 
would  rejoice,  for  she  is  the  last  of  her  royal  race." 

"  How  can  she  take  another  husband  when  she  has  one 
living  ?  " 

"  True ;  indeed  that  is  a  question  which  I  have  con 
sidered,  but  the  answer  to  it  is  that  men  die.  It  is  the 
common  lot,  and  the  Khan  has  been  drinking  very  heavily 
of  late." 

"  You  mean  that  men  can  be  murdered,"  said  Leo 
angrily.  "  Well,  I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  such  a 
crime.  Do  you  understand  me  ?  " 

As  the  words  passed  his  lips  I  heard  a  rustle  and  turned 
my  head.  Behind  us  were  curtains  beyond  which  the 
Shaman  slept,  kept  his  instruments  of  divination  and 
worked  out  his  horoscopes.  Now  they  had  been  drawn, 
and  between  them,  in  her  royal  array,  stood  the  Khania 
still  as  a  statue. 

"  Who  was  it  that  spoke  of  crime  ?  "  she  asked  in  a 
cold  voice.  "  Was  it  you,  my  lord  Leo  ?  " 

Rising  from  his  chair,  he  faced  her  and  said — 

"  Lady,  I  am  glad  that  you  have  heard  my  words,  even 
if  they  should  vex  you." 

"  Why  should  it  vex  me  to  learn  that  there  is  one  honest 
man  in  this  court  who  will  have  naught  to  do  with  mur 
der?  Nay,  I  honour  you  for  those  words.  Know  also 
that  no  such  foul  thoughts  have  come  near  to  me.  Yet, 
Leo  Vincey,  that  which  is  written — is  written." 

"  Doubtless,  Khania ;  but  what  is  written?  " 
'  Tell  him,  Shaman." 

Now  Simbri  passed  behind  the  curtain  and  returned 
thence  with  a  roll  from  which  he  read :  "  The  heavens 


136  AYES  HA 

have  declared  by  their  signs  infallible  that  before  the  next 
new  moon,  the  Khan  Rassen  will  lie  dead  at  the  hands  of 
the  stranger  lord  who  came  to  this  country  from  across 
the  mountains." 

"  Then  the  heavens  have  declared  a  lie,"  said  Leo  con 
temptuously. 

"  That  is  as  you  will,"  answered  Atene ;  "  but  so  it 
must  befall,  not  by  my  hand  or  those  of  my  servants,  but 
by  yours.  And  then  ?  " 

"  Why  by  mine  ?  Why  not  by  Holly's  ?  Yet,  if  so,  then 
doubtless  I  shall  suffer  the  punishment  of  my  crime  at  the 
hands  of  his  mourning  widow,"  he  replied  exasperated. 

"  You  are  pleased  to  mock  me,  Leo  Vincey,  well  know 
ing  what  a  husband  this  man  is  to  me." 

Now  I  felt  that  the  crisis  had  come,  and  so  did  Leo, 
for  he  looked  her  in  the  face  and  said — 

"  Speak  on,  lady,  say  all  you  wish ;  perhaps  it  will  be 
better  for  us  both." 

"  I  obey  you,  lord.  Of  the  beginning  of  this  fate  I 
know  nothing,  but  I  read  from  the  first  page  that  is  open 
to  me.  It  has  to  do  with  this  present  life  of  mine.  Learn, 
Leo  Vincey,  that  from  my  childhood  onwards  you  have 
haunted  me.  Oh !  when  first  I  saw  you  yonder  by  the 
river,  your  face  was  not  strange  to  me,  for  I  knew  it — I 
knew  it  well  in  dreams.  When  I  was  a  little  maid  and 
slept  one  day  amidst  the  flowers  by  the  river's  brim,  it 
came  first  to  me — ask  my  uncle  here  if  this  be  not  so, 
though  it  is  true  that  your  face  was  younger  then.  After 
wards  again  and  again  I  saw  it  in  my  sleep  and  learned 
to  know  that  you  were  mine,  for  the  magic  of  my  heart 
taught  me  this. 

"  Then  passed  the  long  years  while  I  felt  that  you  were 
drawing  near  to  me,  slowly,  very  slowly,  but  ever  draw 
ing  nearer,  wending  onward  and  outward  through  the 
peoples  of  the  world;  across  the  hills,  across  the  plains, 
across  the  sands,  across  the  snows,  on  to  my  side.  At 
length  came  the  end,  for  one  night  not  three  moons  ago, 


IN    THE   SHAMAN'S   CHAMBER         137 

whilst  this  wise  man,  my  uncle,  and  I  sat  together  here 
studying  the  lore  that  he  has  taught  me  and  striving  to 
wring  its  secrets  from  the  past,  a  vision  came  to  me. 

"  Look  you,  I  was  lost  in  a  charmed  sleep  which  looses 
the  spirit  from  the  body  and  gives  it  strength  to  stray  afar 
and  to  see  those  things  that  have  been  and  that  are  yet  to 
be.  Then  I  saw  you  and  your  companion  clinging  to  a 
point  of  broken  ice,  over  the  river  of  the  gulf.  I  do  not 
lie ;  it  is  written  here  upon  the  scroll.  Yes,  it  was  you,  the 
man  of  my  dreams,  and  no  other,  and  we  knew  the  place 
and  hurried  thither  and  waited  by  the  water,  thinking 
that  perhaps  beneath  it  you  lay  dead. 

"  Then,  wrhile  we  waited,  lo !  two  tiny  figures  appeared 
far  above  upon  the  icy  tongue  that  no  man  may  climb,  and 
oh!  you  know  the  rest.  Spellbound  we  stood  and  saw 
you  slip  and  hang,  saw  you  sever  the  thin  cord  and  rush 
downwards,  yes  and,  saw  that  brave  man,  Holly,  leap 
headlong  after  you. 

"  But  mine  was  the  hand  that  drew  you  from  the  tor 
rent,  where  otherwise  you  must  have  drowned,  you  the 
love  of  the  long  past  and  of  to-day,  aye,  and  of  all  time. 
Yes,  you  and  no  other,  Leo  Vincey.  It  was  this  spirit  that 
foresaw  your  danger  and  this  hand  v/hich  delivered  you 
from  death,  and — and  would  you  refuse  them  now — when 
I,  the  Khania  of  Kaloon,  proffer  them  to  you  ?  " 

So  she  spoke,  and  leaned  upon  the  table,  looking  up 
into  his  face  with  lips  that  trembled  and  with  appealing 
eyes. 

"  Lady,"  said  Leo,  "  you  saved  me,  and  again  I  thank 
you,  though  perhaps  it  would  have  been  better  if  you  had 
let  me  drown.  But,  forgive  me  the  question,  if  all  this 
tale  be  true,  why  did  you  marry  another  man  ?  " 

Now  she  shrank  back  as  though  a  knife  had  pricked  her. 

"  Oh !  blame  me  not,"  she  moaned,  "  it  was  but  policy 
which  bound  me  to  this  madman,  whom  I  ever  loathed. 
They  urged  me  to  it;  yes,  even  you,  Simbri,  my  uncle, 
and  for  that  deed  accursed  be  your  head — urged  me,  say- 


138  AYESHA 

ing  that  it  was  necessary  to  end  the  war  between  Rassen's 
faction  and  my  own.  That  I  was  the  last  of  the  true  race, 
moreover,  which  must  be  carried  on ;  saying  also  that  my 
dreams  and  my  rememberings  were  but  sick  phantasies. 
So,  alas!  alas!  I  yielded,  thinking  to  make  my  people 
great." 

"  And  yourself,  the  greatest  of  them,  if  all  I  hear  is 
true,"  commented  Leo  bluntly,  for  he  was  determined  to 
end  this  thing.  "  Well,  I  do  not  blame  you,  Khania,  al 
though  now  you  tell  me  that  I  must  cut  a  knot  you  tied 
by  taking  the  life  of  this  husband  of  your  own  choice,  for 
so  forsooth  it  is  decreed  by  fate,  that  fate  which  you  have 
shaped.  Yes,  I  must  do  what  you  will  not  do,  and  kill 
him.  Also  your  tale  of  the  decree  of  the  heavens  and  of 
that  vision  which  led  you  to  the  precipice  to  save  us  is 
false.  Lady,  you  met  me  by  the  river  because  the 
'  mighty '  Hesea,  the  Spirit  of  the  Mountain,  so  com 
manded  you." 

"  How  know  you  that  ?  "  Atene  said,  springing  up  and 
facing  him,  while  the  jaw  of  old  Simbri  dropped  and  the 
eyelids  blinked  over  his  glazed  eyes. 

"  In  the  same  way  that  I  know  much  else.  Lady,  it 
would  have  been  better  if  you  had  spoken  all  the  truth." 

Now  Atene's  face  went  ashen  and  her  cheeks  sank  in. 

"  Who  told  you  ?  "  she  whispered.  "  Was  it  you,  Ma 
gician  ?  "  and  she  turned  upon  her  uncle  like  a  snake 
about  to  strike.  "  Oh !  if  so,  be  sure  that  I  shall  learn  it, 
and  though  we  are  of  one  blood  and  have  loved  each 
other,  I  will  pay  you  back  in  agony." 

"  Atene,  Atene,"  Simbri  broke  in,  holding  up  his  claw- 
like  hands,  "  you  know  well  it  was  not  I." 

"  Then  it  was  you,  you  ape-faced  wanderer,  you  mes 
senger  of  the  evil  gods  ?    Oh  !  why  did  I  not  kill  you  at-.tlw  ( 
first?    Well,  that  fault  can  be  remedied." 

"  Lady,"  I  said  blandly,  "  am  I  also  a  magician?  " 

"  Aye,"  she  answered,  "  I  think  that  you  are,  and  that 
you  have  a  mistress  who  dwells  in  fire." 


IN    THE   SHAMAN'S   CHAMBER         139 

"  Then,  Khania,"  I  said,  "  such  servants  and  such  mis 
tresses  are  ill  to  meddle  with.  Say,  what  answer  has  the 
Hesea  sent  to  your  report  of  our  coming  to  this  land  ?  " 

"  Listen,"  broke  in  Leo  before  she  could  reply.    "I  go } 
to  ask  a  certain  question  of  the  Oracle  on  yonder  moun-  \ 
tain  peak.    With  your  will  or  without  it  I  tell  you  that  I 
go,  and  afterwards  you  can  settle  which  is  the  stronger — 
the  Khania  of  Kaloon  or  the  Hesea  of  the  House  of  Fire." 

Atene  listened  and  for  a  while  stood  silent,  perhaps  be 
cause  she  had  no  answer.  Then  she  said  with  a  little 
laugh — 

"  Is  that  your  will  ?  Well,  I  think  that  yonder  are  none 
whom  you  would  wish  to  wed.  There  is  fire  and  to  spare, 
but  no  lovely,  shameless  spirit  haunts  it  to  drive  men  mad 
with  evil  longings ; "  and  as  though  at  some  secret 
thought,  a  spasm  of  pain  crossed  her  face  and  caught  her 
breath.  Then  she  went  on  in  the  same  cold  voice — 

"  Wanderers,  this  land  has  its  secrets,  into  which  no 
foreigner  must  pry.  I  say  to  you  yet  again  that  while  I 
live  you  set  no  foot  upon  that  Mountain.  Know  also, 
Leo  Vincey,  I  have  bared  my  heart  to  you,  and  I  have 
been  told  in  answer  that  this  long  quest  of  yours  is  not 
for  me,  as  I  was  sure  in  my  folly,  but,  as  I  think,  for  some 
demon  wearing  the  shape  of  woman,  whom  you  will  never 
find.  Now  I  make  no  prayer  to  you ;  it  is  not  fitting,  but 
you  have  learned  too  much. 

"  Therefore,  consider  well  to-night  and  before  next  sun 
down  answer.  Having  offered,  I  do  not  go  back,  and  to 
morrow  you  shall  tell  me  whether  you  will  take  me  when 
the  time  comes,  as  come  it  must,  and  rule  this  land  and  be 
great  and  happy  in  my  love,  or  whether,  you  and  your 
familiar  together,  you  will — die.  Choose  then  between  the 
vengeance  of  Atene  and  her  love,  since  I  am  not  minded 
to  be  mocked  in  my  own  land  as  a  wanton  who  sought  a 
stranger  and  was — refused." 

Slowly,  slowly,  in  an  intense  whisper  she  spoke  the 
words,  that  fell  one  by  one  from  her  lips  like  drops  of 


1 40  AYESHA 

blood  from  a  death  wound,  and  there  followed  silence. 
Never  shall  I  forget  the  scene.  There  the  old  wizard 
watched  us  through  his  horny  eyes,  that,  blinked  like  those 
of  some  night  bird.  There  stood  the  imperial  woman  in 
her  royal  robes,  with  icy  rage  written  on  her  face  and  ven 
geance  in  her  glance.  There,  facing  her,  was  the  great 
form  of  Leo,  quiet,  alert,  determined,  holding  back  his 
doubts  and  fears  with  the  iron  hand  of  will.  And  there 
to  the  right  was  I,  noting  all  things  and  wondering  how 
long  I,  "  the  familiar,"  who  had  earned  Atene's  hate, 
would  be  left  alive  upon  the  earth. 

Thus  we  stood,  watching  each  other,  till  suddenly  I 
noted  that  the  flame  of  the  lamp  above  us  flickered  and 
felt  a  draught  strike  upon  my  face.  Then  I  looked  round, 
and  became  aware  of  another  presence.  For  yonder  m 
the  shadow  showed  the  tall  form  of  a  man.  See !  it 
shambled  forward  silently,  and  I  saw  that  its  feet  were 
naked.  Now  it  reached  the  ring  of  the  lamplight  and 
burst  into  a  savage  laugh. 

It  was  the  Khan. 

Atene,  his  wife,  looked  up  and  saw  him,  and  never  did  I 
admire  that  passionate  woman's  boldness  more,  who  ad 
mired  little  else  about  her  save  her  beauty,  for  her  face 
showed  neither  anger  nor  fear,  but  contempt  only.  And 
yet  she  had  some  cause  to  be  afraid,  as  she  well  knew. 

"  What  do  you  here,  Rassen  ?  "  she  asked,  "  creeping 
on  me  with  your  naked  feet  ?  Get  you  back  to  your  drink 
and  the  ladies  of  your  court." 

But  he  still  laughed  on,  an  hyena  laugh. 

"  What  have  you  heard  ? "  she  said,  "  that  makes  you 
so  merry  ?  " 

"  What  have  I  heard  ?  "  Rassen  gurgled  out  between 
his  screams  of  hideous  glee.  "  Oho !  I  have  heard  the 
Khania,  the  last  of  the  true  blood,  the  first  in  the  land, 
the  proud  princess  who  will  not  let  her  robes  be  soiled  by 
those  of  the  '  ladies  of  the  court '  and  my  wife,  my  wife, 
who  asked  me  to  marry  her — mark  that,  you  strangers— 


IN    THE   SHAMAN'S   CHAMBER          141 

because  I  was  her  cousin  and  a  rival  ruler,  and  the  richest 
lord  in  all  the  land,  and  thereby  she  thought  she  would 
increase  her  power — I  have  heard  her  offer  herself  to  a 
nameless  wanderer  with  a  great  yellow  beard,  and  I  have 
heard  him,  who  hates  and  would  escape  from  her  " — here 
he  screamed  with  laughter — "  refuse  her  in  such  a  fashion 
as  I  would  not  refuse  the  lowest  woman  in  the  palace. 

"  I  have  heard  also — but  that  I  always  knew — that  I  am 
mad;  for,  strangers,  I  was  made  mad  by  a  hate-philtre 
which  that  old  Rat,"  and  he  pointed  to  Simbri,  "  gave  me 
in  my  drink — yes,  at  my  marriage  feast.  It  worked  well, 
for  truly  there  is  no  one  whom  I  -hate  more  than  the 
Khania  Atene.  Why,  I  cannot  bear  her  touch,  it  makes 
me  sick.  I  loathe  to  be  in  the  same  room  with  her;  she 
taints  the  air ;  there  is  a  smell  of  sorceries  about  her. 

"  It  seems  that  it  takes  you  thus  also,  Yellow-beard  ? 
Well,  if  so,  ask  the  old  Rat  for  a  love  drink ;  he  can  mix 
it,  and  then  you  will  think  her  sweet  and  sound  and  fair, 
and  spend  some  few  months  jollily  enough.  Man,  don't 
be  a  fool,  the  cup  that  is  thrust  into  your  hands  looks 
goodly.  Drink,  drink  deep.  You'll  never  guess  the 
liquor's  bad — till  to-morrow — though  it  be  mixed  with  a 
husband's  poisoned  blood/'  and  again  Rassen  screamed  in 
his  unholy  mirth. 

To  all  these  bitter  insults,  venomed  with  the  sting  of 
truth,  Atene  listened  without  a  word.  Then  she  turned 
to  us  and  bowed. 

"  My  guests,"  she  said,  "  I  pray  you  pardon  me  for  all 
I  cannot  help.  You  have  strayed  to  a  corrupt  and  evil 
land,  and  there  stands  its  crown  and  flower.  Khan  Ras 
sen,  your  doom  is  written,  and  I  do  not  hasten  it,  because 
once  for  a  little  while  we  were  near  to  each  other,  though 
you  have  been  naught  to  me  for  this  many  a  year  save  a 
snake  that  haunts  my  house.  Were  it  otherwise,  the  next 
cup  you  drank  should  still  your  madness,  and  that  vile 
tongue  of  yours  which  gives  its  venom  voice.  My  uncle, 
come  with  me.  Your  hand,  for  I  grow  weak  with  shame 
and  woe." 


1 42  AYES  PI  A 

The  old  Shaman  hobbled  forward,  but  when  he  came 
face  to  face  with  the  Khan  he  stopped  and  looked  him 
up  and  down  with  his  dim  eyes.  Then  he  said — 

"  Rassen,  I  saw  you  born,  the  son  of  an  evil  woman, 
and  your  father  none  knew  but  I.  The  flame  flared  that 
night  upon  the  Fire-mountain,  and  the  stars  hid  their 
faces,  for  none  of  them  would  own  you,  no,  not  even 
those  of  the  most  evil  influence.  I  saw  you  wed  and  rise 
drunken  from  your  marriage  feast,  your  arm  about  a 
wanton's  neck.  I  have  seen  you  rule,  wasting  the  land 
for  your  cruel  pleasure,  turning  the  fertile  fields  into  great 
parks  for  your  game,  leaving  those  who  tilled  them  to 
starve  upon  the  road  or  drown  themselves  in  ditches  for 
very  misery.  And  soon,  soon  I  shall  see  you  die  in  pain 
and  blood,  and  then  the  chain  will  fall  from  the  neck  of 
this  noble  lady  whom.1  you  revile,  and  another  more  worthy 
shall  take  your  place  and  rear  up  children  to  fill  your 
throne,  and  the  land  shall  have  rest  again." 

Now  I  listened  to  these  words — and  none  who  did  not 
hear  them  can  guess  the  fearful  bitterness  with  which 
they  were  spoken — expecting  every  moment  that  the  Khan 
would  draw  the  short  sword  at  his  side  and  cut  the  old 
man  down.  But  he  did  not ;  he  cowered  before  him  like 
a  dog  before  some  savage  master,  the  weight  of  whose 
whip  he  knows.  Yes,  answering  nothing,  he  shrank  into 
the  corner  and  cowered  there,  while  Simbri,  taking  Atene 
by  the  hand,  went  from  the  room.  At  its  massive,  iron- 
bound  door  he  turned  and  pointing  to  the  crouching  figure 
with  his  staff,  said— 

"  Khan  Rassen,  I  raised  you  up,  and  now  I  cast  you 
down.  Remember  me  when  you  lie  dying — in  blood  and 
pain." 

Their  footsteps  died  away,  and  the  Khan  crept  from 
his  corner,  looking  about  him  furtively. 

"  Have  that  Rat  and  the  other  gone  ?  "  he  asked  of  us, 
wiping  his  damp  brow  with  his  sleeve ;  and  I  saw  that 
fear  had  sobered  him  and  that  for  awhile  the  madness  had 
left  his  eyes. 


IN    THE   SHAMAN'S   CHAMBER         143 

I  answered  that  they  had  gone. 

"You  think  me  a  coward,"  he  went  on  passionately, 
"  and  it  is  true,  I  am  afraid  of  him  and  her — as  you,  Yel 
low-beard,  will  be  afraid  when  your  turn  comes.  I  tell 
you  that  they  sapped  my  strength  and  crazed  me  with 
their  drugged  drink,  making  me  the  thing  I  am,  for  who 
can  war  against  their  wizardries  ?  Look  you  now.  Once 
I  was  a  prince,  the  lord  of  half  this  land,  noble  of  form 
and  upright  of  heart,  and  I  loved  her  accursed  beauty  as 
all  must  love  it  on  whom  she  turns  her  eyes.  And  she 
turned  them  on  me,  she  sought  me  in  marriage;  it  was 
that  old  Rat  who  bore  her  message. 

"  So  I  stayed  the  great  war  and  married  the  Khania 
and  became  the  Khan ;  but  better  had  it  been  for  me  if  I 
had  crept  into  her  kitchen  as  a  scullion,  than  into  her 
chamber  as  a  husband.  For  from  the  first  she  hated  me, 
and  the  more  I  loved,  the  more  she  hated,  till  at  our  wed 
ding  feast  she  doctored  me  with  that  poison  which  made 
me  loathe  her,  and  thus  divorced  us ;  which  made  me  mad 
also,  eating  into  my  brain  like  fire." 

"  If  she  hated  you  so  sorely,  Khan,"  I  asked,  "  why  did 
she  not  mix  a  stronger  draught  and  have  done  with  you  ?  " 

"Why?  Because  of  policy,  for  I  ruled  half  the  land. 
Because  it  suited  her  also  that  I  should  live  on,  a  thing  to 
mock  at,  since  while  I  was  alive  no  other  husband  could  be 
forced  upon  her  by  the  people.  For  she  is  not  a  woman, 
she  is  a  witch,  who  desires  to  live  alone,  or  so  I  thought 
until  to-night " — and  he  glowered  at  Leo. 

"  She  knew  also  that  although  I  must  shrink  from  her, 
I  still  love  her  in  my  heart,  and  can  still  be  jealous,  and 
therefore  that  I  should  protect  her  from  all  men.  It  was 
she  who  set  me  on  that  lord  whom  my  dogs  tore  awhile 
ago,  because  he  was  powerful  and  sought  her  favour  and 
would  not  be  denied.  But  now,"  and  again  he  glowered 
at  Leo,  "  now  I  know  why  she  has  always  seemed  so  cold. 
It  is  because  there  lived  a  man  to  melt  whose  ice  she  hus 
banded  her  fire." 


144  "AYESHA 

Then  Leo,  who  all  this  while  had  stood  silent,  stepped 
forward. 

"  Listen,  Khan,"  he  said.  "  Did  the  ice  seem  like  melt 
ing  a  little  while  ago  ?  " 

"  No — unless  you  lied.  But  that  was  only  because  the 
fire  is  not  yet  hot  enough.  Wait  awhile  until  it  burns  up, 
and  melt  you  must,  for  who  can  match  his  will  against 
Atene  ?  " 

"  And  what  if  the  ice  desires  to  flee  the  fire  ?  Khan, 
they  said  that  I  should  kill  you,  but  I  do  not  seek  your 
blood.  You  think  that  I  would  rob  you  of  your  wife,  yet 
I  have  no  such  thought  towards  her.  We  desire  to  escape 
this  town  of  yours,  but  cannot,  because  its  gates  are 
locked,  and  we  are  prisoners,  guarded  night  and  day. 
Hear  me,  then.  You  have  the  power  to  set  us  free  and  to 
be  rid  of  us." 

The  Khan  looked  at  him  cunningly.  "  And  if  I  set  you 
free,  whither  would  you  go?  You  could  tumble  down 
yonder  gorge,  but  only  the  birds  can  climb  its  heights." 

"  To  the  Fire-mountain,  where  we  have  business." 

Rassen  stared  at  him. 

"  Is  it  I  who  am  mad,  or  are  you,  who  wish  to  visit 
the  Fire-mountain?  Yet  that  is  nothing  to  me,  save  that 
I  do  not  believe  you.  But  if  so  you  might  return  again 
and  bring  others  with  you.  Perchance,  having  its  lady, 
you  wish  this  land  also  by  right  of  conquest.  It  has  foes 
up  yonder." 

"  It  is  not  so,"  answered  Leo  earnestly.  "  As  one  man 
to  another,  I  tell  you  it  is  not  so.  I  ask  no  smile  of  your 
wife  and  no  acre  of  your  soil.  Be  wise  and  help  us  to  be 
gone,  and  live  on  undisturbed  in  such  fashion  as  may 
please  you." 

The  Khan  stood  still  awhile,  swinging  his  long  arms 
vacantly,  till  something  seemed  to  come  into  his  mind  that 
moved  him  to  merriment,  for  he  burst  into  one  of  his  hide 
ous  laughs. 

"  I  am  thinking,"  he  said,  "  what  Atene  would  say  if 


IN    THE   SHAMAN'S   CHAMBER         145 

she  woke  up  to  find  her  sweet  bird  flown.  She  would 
search  for  you  and  be  angry  with  me." 

"  It  seems  that  she  cannot  be  angrier  than  she  is,"  I 
answered.  "  Give  us  a  night's  start  and  let  her  search 
never  so  closely,  she  shall  not  find  us." 

"  You  forget,  Wanderer,  that  she  and  her  old  Rat  have 
arts.  Those  who  knew  where  to  meet  you  might  know 
where  to  seek  you.  And  yet,  and  yet,  it  would  be  rare  to 
see  her  rage.  '  Oh,  Yellow-beard,  where  are  you,  Yellow- 
beard  ?  '  he  went  on,  mimicking  his  wife's  voice.  '  Come 
back  and  let  me  melt  your  ice,  Yellow-beard.'  " 

Again  he  laughed ;  then  said  suddenly — 

"  When  can  you  be  ready  ?  " 

"  In  half  an  hour,"  I  answered. 

"  Good.  Go  to  your  chambers  and  prepare.  I  will  join 
you  there  presently." 

So  we  went. 


CHAPTER   XI 

THE  HUNT  AND  THE  KILL 

WE  reached  our  rooms,  meeting  no  one  in  the  passages, 
and  there  made  our  preparations.  First  we  changed  our 
festal  robes  for  those  warmer  garments  in  which  we  had 
travelled  to  the  city  of  Kaloon.  Then  we  ate  and  drank 
what  we  could  of  the  victuals  which  stood  in  the  ante 
chamber,  not  knowing  when  we  should  find  more  food, 
and  filled  two  satchels  such  as  these  people  sling  about 
their  shoulders,  with  the  remains  of  the  meat  and  liquor 
and  a  few  necessaries.  Also  we  strapped  our  big  hunting 
knives  about  our  middles  and  armed  ourselves  with  short 
spears  that  were  made  for  the  stabbing  of  game. 

"  Perhaps  he  has  laid  a  plot  to  murder  us,  and  we  may 
as  well  defend  ourselves  while  we  can,"  suggested  Leo. 

I  nodded,  for  the  echoes  of  the  Khan's  last  laugh  still 
rang  in  my  ears.  It  was  a  very  evil  laugh. 

"  Likely  enough,"  I  said.  "  I  do  not  trust  that  insane 
brute.  Still,  he  wishes  to  be  rid  of  us." 

"  Yes,  but  as  he  said,  live  men  may  return,  whereas  the 
dead  do  not." 

"  Atene  thinks  otherwise,"  I  commented. 

"  And  yet  she  threatened  us  with  death,"  answered  Leo. 

"  Because  her  shame  and  passion  make  her  mad,"  I  re 
plied,  after  which  we  were  silent. 

Presently  the  door  opened,  and  through  it  came  the 
Khan,  muffled  in  a  great  cloak  as  though  to  disguise  him 
self. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  "  if  you  are  ready."  Then,  catching 
sight  of  the  spears  we  held,  he  added :  "  You  will  not  need 
those  things.  You  do  not  go  a-hunting." 

146 


THE   HUNT   AND    THE   KILL  147 

"  No,"  I  answered,  "  but  who  can  say — we  might  be 
hunted." 

"  If  you  believe  that  perhaps  you  had  best  stay  where 
you  are  till  the  Khania  wearies  of  Yellow-beard  and  opens 
the  gates  for  you,"  he  replied,  eyeing  me  with  his  cunning 
glance. 

"  I  think  not,"  I  said,  and  we  started,  the  Khan  leading 
the  way  and  motioning  us  to  be  silent. 

We  passed  through  the  empty  rooms  on  to  the  veran 
dah,  and  from  the  verandah  down  into  the  courtyard, 
where  he  whispered  to  us  to  keep  in  the  shadow.  For  the 
moon  shone  very  clearly  that  night,  so  clearly,  I  remem 
ber,  that  I  could  see  the  grass  which  grew  between  the 
joints  of  the  pavement,  and  the  little  shadows  thrown 
by  each  separate  blade  upon  the  worn  surface  of  its  stones. 
Now  I  wondered  how  we  should  pass  the  gate,  for  there 
a  guard  was  stationed,  which  had  of  late  been  doubled  by 
order  of  the  Khania.  But  this  gate  we  left  upon  our  right, 
taking  a  path  that  led  into  the  great  walled  garden,  where 
Rassen  brought  us  to  a  door  hidden  behind  a  clump  of 
shrubs,  which  he  unlocked  with  a  key  he  carried. 

Now  we  wrere  outside  the  palace  wall,  and  our  road  ran 
past  the  kennels.  As  we  went  by  these,  the  great,  sleep 
less  death-hounds,  that  wandered  to  and  fro  like  prowling 
lions,  caught  our  wind  and  burst  into  a  sudden  chorus  of 
terrific  bays.  I  shivered  at  the  sound,  for  it  was  fearful 
in  that  silence,  also  I  thought  that  it  would  arouse  the 
keepers.  But  the  Khan  went  to  the  bars  and  showed  him 
self,  whereon  the  brutes,  which  knew  him,  ceased  their 
noise. 

"  Fear  not,"  he  said  as  he  returned,  "  the  huntsmen 
know  that  they  are  starved  to-night,  for  to-morrow  cer 
tain  criminals  will  be  thrown  to  them." 

Now  we  had  reached  the  palace  gates.  Here  the  Khan 
bade  us  hide  in  an  archway  and  departed.  We  looked  at 
each  other,  for  the  same  thought  was  in  both  our  minds — 
that  he  had  gone  to  fetch  the  murderers  who  were  to 


148  A  YES  HA 

make  an  end  of  us.  But  in  this  we  did  him  wrong,  for 
presently  we  heard  the  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  upon  the 
stones,  and  he  returned  leading  the  two  white  steeds  that 
Atene  had  given  us. 

"  I  saddled  them  with  my  own  hands,"  he  whispered. 
"  Who  can  do  more  to  speed  the  parting  guest  ?  Now 
mount,  hide  your  faces  in  your  cloaks  as  I  do,  and  follow 
me." 

So  we  mounted,  and  he  trotted  before  us  like  a  running 
footman,  such  as  the  great  lords  of  Kaloon  employed  when 
they  went  about  their  business  or  their  pleasure.  Leaving 
the  main  street,  he  led  us  through  a  quarter  of  the  town 
that  had  an  evil  reputation,  and  down  its  tortuous  by-ways. 
Here  we  met  a  few  revellers,  while  from  time  to  time 
night-birds  flitted  from  the  doorways  and,  throwing  aside 
their  veils,  looked  at  us,  but  as  we  made  no  sign  drew 
back  again,  thinking  that  we  passed  to  some  assignation. 
We  reached  the  deserted  docks  upon  the  river's  edge  and 
came  to  a  little  quay,  alongside  of  which  a  broad  ferry 
boat  was  fastened. 

"  You  must  put  your  horses  into  it  and  row  across," 
Rassen  said,  "  for  the  bridges  are  guarded,  and  without 
discovering  myself  I  cannot  bid  the  soldiers  to  let  you 
pass." 

So  with  some  little  trouble  we  urged  the  horses  into 
the  boat,  where  I  held  them  by  their  bridles  while  Leo  took 
the  oars. 

"  Now  go  your  ways,  accursed  wanderers,"  cried  the 
Khan  as  he  thrust  us  from  the  quay,  "  and  pray  the  Spirit 
of  the  Mountain  that  the  old  Rat  and  his  pupil — your  love, 
Yellow-beard,  your  love — are  not  watching  you  in  their 
magic  glass.  For  if  so  we  may  meet  again." 

Then  as  the  stream  caught  us,  sweeping  the  boat  out 
towards  the  centre  of  the  river,  he  began  to  laugh  that 
horrible  laugh  of  his,  calling  after  us — 

"  Ride  fast,  ride  fast  for  safety,  strangers ;  there  is  death 
behind." 


THE   HUNT   AND    THE   KILL  149 

Leo  put  out  his  strength  and  backed  water,  so  that  the 
punt  hung  upon  the  edge  of  the  stream. 

"  I  think  that  we  should  do  well  to  land  again  and  kill 
that  man,  for  he  means  mischief,"  he  said. 

He  spoke  in  English,  but  Rassen  must  have  caught 
the  ring  of  his  voice  and  guessed  its  meaning  with  the 
cunning  of  the  mad.  At  least  he  shouted — 

"  Too  late,  fools,"  and  with  a  last  laugh  turned,  ran  so 
swiftly  up  the  quay  that  his  cloak  flew  out  upon  the  air 
behind  him,  and  vanished  into  the  shadows  at  its  head. 

"  Row  on,"  I  said,  and  Leo  bent  himself  to  the  oars. 

But  the  ferry-boat  was  cumbersome  and  the  current 
swift,  so  that  we  were  swept  down  a  long  way  before  we 
could  cross  it.  At  length  we  reached  still  water  near  the 
further  shore,  and  seeing  a  landing-place,  managed  to 
beach  the  punt  and  to  drag  our  horses  to  the  bank.  Then 
leaving  the  craft  to  drift,  for  we  had  no  time  to  scuttle  her, 
we  looked  to  our  girths  and  bridles,  and  mounted,  heading 
towards  the  far  column  of  glowing  smoke  which  showed 
like  a  beacon  above  the  summit  of  the  House  of  Fire. 

At  first  our  progress  was  very  slow,  for  here  there 
seemed  to  be  no  path,  and  we  were  obliged  to  pick  our  way 
across  the  fields,  and  to  search  for  bridges  that  spanned 
such  of  the  water-ditches  as  were  too  wide  for  us  to  jump. 
More  than  an  hour  was  spent  in  this  work,  till  we  came  to 
a  village  wherein  none  were  stirring,  and  here  struck  a 
road  which  seemed  to  run  towards  the  mountain,  though, 
as  we  learned  afterwards,  it  took  us  very  many  miles  out 
of  our  true  path.  Now  for  the  first  time  we  were  able  to 
canter,  and  pushed  on  at  some  speed,  though  not  too  fast, 
for  we  wished  to  spare  our  horses  and  feared  lest  they 
might  fall  in  the  uncertain  light. 

A  while  before  dawn  the  moon  sank  behind  the  Moun 
tain,  and  the  gloom  grew  so  dense  that  we  were  forced  to 
stop,  which  we  did,  holding  the  horses  by  their  bridles  and 
allowing  them  to  graze  a  little  on  some  young  corn.  Then 
the  sky  turned  grey,  the  light  faded  from  the  column  of 


150  A  YES  HA 

smoke  that  was  our  guide,  the  dawn  came,  blushing  red 
upon  the  vast  snows  of  the  distant  peak,  and  shooting  its 
arrows  through  the  loop  above  the  pillar.  We  let  the 
horses  drink  from  a  channel  that  watered  the  corn,  and, 
mounting  them,  rode  onward  slowly. 

Now  with  the  shadows  of  the  night  a  weight  of  fear 
seemed  to  be  lifted  off  our  hearts  and  we  grew  hopeful, 
aye,  almost  joyous.  That  hated  city  was  behind  us.  Be 
hind  us  were  the  Khania  with  her  surging,  doom-driven 
passions  and  her  stormy  loveliness,  the  wizardries  of  her 
horny-eyed  mentor,  so  old  in  years  and  secret  sin,  and 
the  madness  of  that  strange  being,  half-devil,  half-martyr, 
at  once  cruel  and  a  coward — the  Khan,  her  husband,  and 
his  polluted  court.  In  front  lay  the  fire,  the  snow  and  the 
mystery  they  hid,  sought  for  so  many  empty  years.  Now 
we  would  solve  it  or  we  would  die.  So  we  pressed  for 
ward  joyfully  to  meet  our  fate,  whatever  it  might  be. 

For  many  hours  our  road  ran  deviously  through  culti 
vated  land,  where  the  peasants  at  their  labour  laid  down 
their  tools  and  gathered  into  knots  to  watch  us  pass,  and 
quaint,  flat-roofed  villages,  whence  the  women  snatched 
up  their  children  and  fled  at  the  sight  of  us.  They  be 
lieved  us  to  be  lords  from  the  court  who  came  to  work' 
them  some  harm  in  person  or  in  property,  and  their  terror 
told  us  how  the  country  smarted  beneath  the  rod  of  the 
oppressor.  By  mid-day,  although  the  peak  seemed  to  be 
but  little  nearer,  the  character  of  the  land  had  changed. 
Now  it  sloped  gently  upwards,  and  therefore  could  not  be 
irrigated. 

Evidently  all  this  great  district  was  dependent  on 
the  fall  of  timely  rains,  which  had  not  come  that 
spring.  Therefore,  although  the  population  was  still  dense 
and  every  rod  of  the  land  was  under  the  plough  or  spade, 
the  crops  were  failing.  It  was  pitiful  to  see  the  green,  un- 
eared  corn  already  turning  yellow  because  of  the  lack  of 
moisture,  the  beasts  searching  the  starved  pastures  for 
food  and  the  poor  husbandmen  wandering  about  their 
fields  or  striving  to  hoe  the  iron  soil. 


THE   HUNT   AND    THE   KILL  151 

Here  the  people  seemed  to  know  us  as  the  two  foreign 
ers  whose  coming  had  been  noised  abroad,  and,  the  fear 
of  famine  having  made  them  bold,  they  shouted  at  us 
as  we  went  by  to  give  them  back  the  rain  which  we  had 
stolen,  or  so  we  understood  their  words.  Even  the  women 
and  the  children  in  the  villages  prostrated  themselves  be 
fore  us,  pointing  first  to  the  Mountain  and  then  to  the 
hard,  blue  sky,  and  crying  to  us  to  send  them  rain.  Once, 
indeed,  we  were  threatened  by  a  mob  of  peasants  armed 
with  spades  and  reaping-hooks,  who  seemed  inclined  to 
bar  our  path,  so  that  we  were  obliged  to  put  our  horses  to 
a  gallop  and  pass  through  them  with  a  rush.  As  we  went 
forward  the  country  grew  ever  more  arid  and  its  inhabi 
tants  more  scarce,  till  we  saw  no  man  save  a  few  wander 
ing  herds  who  drove  their  cattle  from  place  to  place  in 
search  of  provender. 

By  evening  we  guessed  that  we  had  reached  that  border 
tract  which  was  harried  by  the  Mountain  tribes,  for  here 
strong  towers  built  of  stone  were  dotted  about  the  heaths, 
doubtless  to  serve  as  watch-houses  or  places  of  refuge. 
Whether  they  were  garrisoned  by  soldiers  I  do  not  know, 
but  I  doubt  it,  for  we  saw  none.  It  seems  probable  indeed 
that  these  forts  were  relics  of  days  when  the  land  of 
Kaloon  was  guarded  from  attack  by  rulers  of  a  very  dif 
ferent  character  to  that  of  the  present  Khan  and  his  im 
mediate  predecessors. 

At  length  even  the  watch-towers  were  left  behind,  and 
by  sundown  we  found  ourselves  upon  a  vast  uninhabited 
plain,  where  we  could  see  no  living  thing.  Now  we  made 
up  our  minds  to  rest  our  horses  awhile,  proposing  to  push 
forward  again  with  the  moon,  for  having  the  wrath  of  the 
Khania  behind  us  we  did  not  dare  to  linger.  By  this  even 
ing  doubtless  she  would  have  discovered  our  escape,  since 
before  sundown,  as  she  had  decreed,  Leo  must  make  his 
choice  and  give  his  answer.  Then,  as  we  were  sure,  she 
would  strike  swiftly.  Perhaps  her  messengers  were  al 
ready  at  their  work  rousing  the  country  to  capture  us,  and 
her  soldiers  following  on  our  path. 


15*  A  YES  HA 

We  unsaddled  the  horses  and  let  them  refresh  them 
selves  by  rolling  on  the  sandy  soil,  and  graze  after  a 
fashion  upon  the  coarse  tufts  of  withering  herbage  which 
grew  around.  There  was  no  water  here ;  but  this  did  not 
so  much  matter,  for  both  they  and  we  had  drunk  at  a  little 
muddy  pool  we  found  not  more  than  an  hour  before.  We 
were  finishing  our  meal  of  the  food  that  we  had  brought 
with  us,  which,  indeed,  we  needed  sorely  after  our  sleep 
less  night  and  long  day's  journey,  when  my  horse,  which 
was  knee-haltered  close  at  hand,  lay  down  to  roll  again. 
This  it  could  not  do  with  ease  because  of  the  rope  about 
its  fore-leg,  and  I  watched  its  efforts  idly,  till  at  length,  at 
the  fourth  attempt,  after  hanging  for  a  few  seconds  upon 
its  back,  its  legs  sticking  straight  into  the  air,  it  fell  over 
slowly  towards  me  as  horses  do. 

"  Why  are  its  hoofs  so  red  ?  Has  it  cut  itself  ?  "  asked 
Leo  in  an  indifferent  voice. 

As  it  chanced  I  also  had  just  noticed  this  red  tinge,  and 
for  the  first  time,  since  it  was  most  distinct  about  the  ani 
mal's  frogs,  which  until  it  rolled  thus  I  had  not  seen.  So 
I  rose  to  look  at  them,  thinking  that  probably  the  evening 
light  had  deceived  us,  or  that  we  might  have  passed 
through  some  ruddy-coloured  mud.  Sure  enough  they 
were  red,  as  though  a  dye  had  soaked  into  the  horn  and 
the  substance  of  the  frogs.  What  was  more,  they  gave 
out  a  pungent,  aromatic  smell  that  was  unpleasant,  such  a 
smell  as  might  arise  from  blood  mixed  with  musk  and 
spices. 

"  It  is  very  strange,"  I  said.  "  Let  us  look  at  your  beast, 
Leo." 

So  we  did,  and  found  that  its  hoofs  had  been  similarly- 
treated. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  a  native  mixture  to  preserve  the  horn/' 
suggested  Leo. 

I  thought  awhile,  then  a  terrible  idea  struck  me. 

"  I  don't  want  to  frighten  you,"  I  said,  "  but  I  think  that 
we  had  better  saddle  up  and  get  on." 


THE   HUNT   AND    THE   KILL  153 

"  Why  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Because  I  believe  that  villain  of  a  Khan  has  doctored 
our  horses." 

"  What  for?    To  make  them  go  lame?  " 

"  No,  Leo,  to  make  them  leave  a  strong  scent  upon  dry 
ground." 

He  turned  pale.     "  Do  you  mean — those  hounds  ?  " 

I  nodded.  Then  wasting  no  more  time  in  words,  we 
saddled  up  in  frantic  haste.  Just  as  I  fastened  the  last 
strap  of  my  saddle  I  thought  that  a  faint  sound  reached 
my  ear. 

"  Listen,"  I  said.  Again  it  came,  and  now  there  was 
no  doubt  about  it.  It  was  the  sound  of  baying  dogs. 

"  By  heaven !  the  death-hounds,"  said  Leo. 

"  Yes,"  I  answered  quietly  enough,  for  at  this  crisis  my 
nerves  hardened  and  all  fear  left  me,  "  our  friend  the 
Khan  is  out  a-hunting.  That  is  why  he  laughed." 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  asked  Leo.  "  Leave  the  horses  ?  " 

I  looked  at  the  Peak.  Its  nearest  flanks  were  miles 
and  miles  away. 

"  Time  enough  to  do  that  when  we  are  forced.  We 
can  never  reach  that  mountain  on  foot,  and  after  they 
had  run  down  the  horses,  they  would  hunt  us  by  spoor  or 
gaze.  No,  man,  ride  as  you  never  rode  before." 

We  sprang  to  our  saddles,  but  before  we  gave  rein  I 
turned  and  looked  behind  me.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
we  had  ridden  up  a  long  slope  which  terminated  in  a 
ridge,  about  three  miles  away,  the  border  of  the  great 
plain  whereon  we  stood.  Now  the  sun  had  sunk  behind 
that  ridge  so  that  although  it  was  still  light  the  plain  had 
fallen  into  shadow.  Therefore,  while  no  distant  object 
could  be  seen  upon  the  plain,  anything  crossing  the  ridge 
remained  visible  enough  in  that  clear  air,  at  least  to  per 
sons  of  keen  sight. 

This  is  what  we  saw.  Over  the  ridge  poured  a  multi 
tude  of  little  objects,  and  amongst  the  last  of  these  gal 
loped  a  man  mounted  on  a  great  horse,  who  led  another 
horse  by  the  bridle. 


154  rAYESHA 

"  All  the  pack  are  out,"  said  Leo  grimly,  "  and  Rassen 
has  brought  a  second  mount  with  him.  Now  I  see  why 
he  wanted  us  to  leave  the  spears,  and  I  think,"  he  shouted 
as  we  began  to  gallop,  "  that  before  all  is  done  the  Sha 
man  may  prove  himself  a  true  prophet." 

Away  we  sped  through  the  gathering  darkness,  heading 
straight  for  the  Peak.  While  we  went  I  calculated  our 
chances.  Our  horses,  as  good  as  any  in  the  land,  were 
still  strong  and  fresh,  for  although  we  had  ridden  far 
we  had  not  over-pressed  them,  and  their  condition  was 
excellent.  But  doubtless  the  death-hounds  were  fresh 
also,  for,  meaning  to  run  us  down  at  night  when  he 
thought  that  he  might  catch  us  sleeping,  Rassen  would 
have  brought  them  along  easily,  following  us  by  inquiry 
among  the  peasants  and  only  laying  them  on  our  spoor 
after  the  last  village  had  been  left  behind. 

Also  he  had  two  mounts,  and  for  aught  we  knew — 
though  afterwards  this  proved  not  to  be  the  case,  for  he 
wished  to  work  his  wickedness  alone  and  unseen — he 
might  be  followed  by  attendants  with  relays.  Therefore 
it  would  appear  that  unless  we  reached  some  place  whither 
he  did  not  dare  to  follow,  before  him — that  is  the  slopes 
of  the  Peak  many  miles  away,  he  must  run  us  down. 
There  remained  the  chance  also  that  the  dogs  would  tire 
and  refuse  to  pursue  the  chase. 

This,  however,  seemed  scarcely  probable,  for  they  were 
extraordinarily  swift  and  strong,  and  so  savage  that  when 
once  they  had  scented  blood,  in  which  doubtless  our 
horses'  hoofs  were  steeped,  they  would  fall  dead  from 
exhaustion  sooner  than  abandon  the  trail.  Indeed,  both 
the  Khania  and  Simbri  had  often  told  us  as  much.  An 
other  chance — they  might  lose  the  scent,  but  seeing  its 
nature,  again  this  was  not  probable.  Even  an  English 
pack  will  carry  the  trail  of  a  red  herring  breast  high  with 
out  a  fault  for  hours,  and  here  was  something  stronger — a 
cunning  compound  of  which  the  tell-tale  odour  would 
hold  for  days.  A  last  chance.  If  we  were  forced  to 


i 

THE   HUNT   AND    THE   KILL  155 

abandon  our  horses,  we,  their  riders,  might  possibly  es 
cape,  could  we  find  any  place  to  hide  in  on  that  great 
plain.  If  not,  we  should  be  seen  as  well  as  scented,  and 
then 

No,  the  odds  were  all  against  us,  but  so  they  had  often 
been  before;  meanwhile  we  had  three  miles  start,  and 
perhaps  help  would  come  to  us  from  the  Mountain,  some 
help  unforeseen.  So  we  set  our  teeth  and  sped  away  like 
arrows  while  the  light  lasted. 

Very  soon  it  failed,  and  whilst  the  moon  was  hidden  be 
hind  the  mountains  the  night  grew  dark. 

Now  the  hounds  gained  on  us,  for  in  the  gloom,  which 
to  them  was  nothing,  we  did  not  dare  to  ride  full  speed, 
fearing  lest  our  horses  should  stumble  and  lame  them 
selves,  or  fall.  Then  it  was  for  the  second  time  since  we 
had  dwelt  in  this  land  of  Kaloon  that  of  a  sudden  the 
fire  flamed  upon  the  Peak.  When  we  had  seen  it  before, 
it  had  appeared  to  flash  across  the  heavens  in  one  great 
lighthouse  ray,  concentrated  through  the  loop  above  the 
pillar,  and  there  this  night  also  the  ray  ran  far  above  us 
like  a  lance  of  fire.  But  now  that  we  were  nearer  to  its 
fount  we  found  ourselves  bathed  in  a  soft,  mysterious 
radiance  like  that  of  the  phosphorescence  on  a  summer 
sea,  reflected  downwards  perhaps  from  the  clouds  and 
massy  rock  roof  of  the  column  loop  and  diffused  by  the 
snows  beneath. 

This  unearthly  glimmer,  faint  as  it  was,  helped  us 
much,  indeed  but  for  it  we  must  have  been  overtaken, 
for  here  the  ground  was  very  rough,  full  of  holes  also 
made  by  burrowing  marmots.  Thus  in  our  extremity  help 
did  come  to  us  from  the  Mountain,  until  at  length  the 
moon  rose,  when  as  quickly  as  they  had  appeared  the 
volcanic  fires  vanished,  leaving  behind  them  nothing  but 
the  accustomed  pillar  of  dull  red  smoke. 

It  is  a  commonplace  to  speak  of  the  music  of  hounds  at 
chase,  but  often  I  have  wondered  how  that  music  sounds 
in  the  ears  of  the  deer  or  the  fox  fleeing  for  its  life. 


156  AYESHA 

Now,  when  we  filled  the  place  of  the  quarry,  it  was  my 
destiny  to  solve  this  problem,  and  I  assert  with  confidence 
that  the  progeny  of  earth  can  produce  no  more  hideous 
noise.  It  had  come  near  to  us,  and  in  the  desolate  silence 
of  the  night  the  hellish  harmonies  of  its  volume  seemed 
terrific,  yet  I  could  discern  the  separate  notes  of  which  it 
was  composed,  especially  one  deep,  bell-like  bay. 

I  remembered  that  I  had  heard  this  bay  when  we  sat 
in  the  boat  upon  the  river  and  saw  that  poor  noble  done 
to  death  for  the  crime  of  loving  the  Khania.  As  the 
hunt  passed  us  then  I  observed  that  it  burst  from  the 
throat  of  the  leading  hound,  a  huge  brute,  red  in  colour, 
with  a  coal-black  ear,  fangs  that  gleamed  like  ivory,  and 
a  mouth  which  resembled  a  hot  oven.  I  even  knew  the 
name  of  the  beast,  for  afterwards  the  Khan,  whose 
peculiar  joy  it  was,  had  pointed  it  out  to  me.  He  called 
it  Master,  because  no  dog  in  the  pack  dared  fight  it,  and 
told  me  that  it  could  kill  an  armed  man  alone. 

Now,  as  its  baying  warned  us,  Master  was  not  half  a 
mile  away! 

The  coming  of  the  moonlight  enabled  us  to  gallop 
faster,  especially  as  here  the  ground  was  smooth,  being 
covered  with  a  short,  dry  turf,  and  for  the  next  two 
hours  we  gained  upon  the  pack.  Yes,  it  was  only  two 
hours,  or  perhaps  less,  but  it  seemed  a  score  of  centuries. 
The  slopes  of  the  Peak  were  now  not  more  than  ten  miles 
ahead,  but  our  horses  were  giving  out  at  last.  They  had 
borne  us  nobly,  poor  beasts,  though  we  were  no  light 
weights,  yet  their  strength  had  its  limits.  The  sweat  ran 
from  them,  their  sides  panted  like  bellows,  they  breathed 
in  gasps,  they  stumbled  and  would  scarcely  answer  to 
the  flogging  of  our  spear-shafts.  Their  gallop  sank  to  a 
jolting  canter,  and  I  thought  that  soon  they  must  come  to 
a  dead  stop. 

We  crossed  the  brow  of  a  gentle  rise,  from  which  the 
ground,  that  was  sprinkled  with  bush  and  rocks,  sloped 
downwards  to  where,  some  miles  below  us,  the  river  ran, 


THE   HUNT   AND    THE   KILL  157 

.bounding  the  enormous  flanks  of  the  Mountain.  When 
we  had  travelled  a  little  way  down  this  slope  we  were 
obliged  to  turn  in  order  to  pass  between  two  heaps  of 
rock,  which  brought  us  side  on  to  its  brow.  And  there, 
crossing  it  not  more  than  three  hundred  yards  away,  we 
saw  the  pack.  There  were  fewer  of  them  now ;  doubtless 
many  had  fallen  out  of  the  hunt,  but  many  still  remained. 
Moreover,  not  far  behind  them  rode  the  Khan,  though  his 
second  mount  was  gone,  or  more  probably  he  was  riding 
it,  having  galloped  the  first  to  a  standstill. 

Our  poor  horses  saw  them  also,  and  the  sight  lent  them 
wings,  for  all  the  while  they  knew  that  they  were  running 
for  their  lives.  This  we  could  tell  from  the  way  they 
quivered  whenever  the  baying  came  near  to  them,  not  as 
horses  tremble  with  the  pleasureable  excitement  of  the 
hunt,  but  in  an  extremity  of  terror,  as  I  have  often  seen 
them  do  when  a  prowling  tiger  roars  close  to  their  camp. 
On  they  went  as  though  they  were  fresh  from  the  stable, 
nor  did  they  fail  again  until  another  four  miles  or  so  were 
covered  and  the  river  was  but  a  little  way  ahead,  for  we 
could  hear  the  rush  of  its  waters. 

Then  slowly  but  surely  the  pack  overtook  us.  We 
passed  a  clump  of  bush,  but  when  we  had  gone  a  couple 
of  hundred  yards  or  so  across  the  open  plain  beyond, 
feeling  that  the  horses  were  utterly  spent,  I  shouted  to 
Leo — 

"  Ride  round  back  to  the  bush  and  hide  there." 

So  we  did,  and  scarcely  had  we  reached  it  and  dis 
mounted  when  the  hounds  came  past.  Yes,  they  went 
within  fifty  yards  of  us,  lolloping  along  upon  our  spoor 
and  running  all  but  mute,  for  now  they  were  too  weary 
to  waste  their  breath  in  vain.  "  Run  for  it,"  I  said  to  Leo 
as  soon  as  they  had  gone  by,  "  for  they  will  be  back  on  the 
scent  presently,"  and  we  set  off  to  the  right  across  the  line 
that  the  hounds  had  taken,  so  as  not  to  cut  our  own 
spoor. 

About  a  hundred  yards  away  was  a  rock,  which  fortu- 


158  A  YES  HA 

nately  we  were  able  to  reach  before  the  pack  swung 
round  upon  the  horses'  tracks,  and  therefore  they  did  not 
view  us.  Here  we  stayed  until  following  the  loop,  they 
came  to  the  patch  of  bush  and  passed  behind  it.  Then  we 
ran  forward  again  as  far  as  we  could  go.  Glancing  back 
wards  as  we  went,  I  saw  our  two  poor,  foundered  beasts 
plunging  away  across  the  plain,  happily  almost  in  the 
same  line  along  which  we  had  ridden  from  the  rise.  They 
were  utterly  done,  but  freed  from  our  weights  and  urged 
on  by  fear,  could  still  gallop  and  keep  ahead  of  the  dogs, 
though  we  knew  that  this  would  not  be  for  very  long.  I 
saw  also  that  the  Khan,  guessing  what  we  had  done  in  our 
despair,  was  trying  to  call  his  hounds  off  the  horses,  but 
as  yet  without  avail,  for  they  would  not  leave  the  quarry 
which  they  had  viewed. 

All  this  came  to  my  sight  in  a  flash,  but  I  remember 
the  picture  well.  The  mighty,  snow-clad  Peak  sur 
mounted  by  its  column  of  glowing  smoke  and  casting  its 
shadow  for  mile  upon  mile  across  the  desert  flats;  the 
plain  with  its  isolated  rocks  and  grey  bushes ;  the  doomed 
horses  struggling  across  it  with  convulsive  bounds;  the 
trailing  line  of  great  dogs  that  loped  after  them,  and 
amongst  these,  looking  small  and  lonely  in  that  vast  place, 
the  figure  of  the  Khan  and  his  horse,  of  which  the  black 
hide  was  beflecked  with  foam.  Then  above,  the  blue  and 
tender  sky,  where  the  round  moon  shone  so  clearly  that 
in  her  quiet,  level  light  no  detail,  even  the  smallest,  could 
escape  the  eye. 

Now  youth  and  even  middle  age  were  far  behind  me, 
and  although  a  very  strong  man  for  my  years,  I  could  not 
run  as  I  used  to  do.  Also  I  was  most  weary,  and  my 
limbs  were  stiff  and  chafed  with  long  riding,  so  I 
made  but  slow  progress,  and  to  worsen  matters  I  struck 
my  left  foot  against  a  stone  and  hurt  it  much.  I  im 
plored  Leo  to  go  on  and  leave  me,  for  we  thought  that  if 
we  could  once  reach  the  river  our  scent  would  be  lost  in 
the  water;  at  any  rate  that  it  would  give  us  a  chance  of 


THE   HUNT   AND    THE   KILL  159 

life.  Just  then  too,  I  heard  the  belling  bay  of  the  hound 
Master,  and  waited  for  the  next.  Yes,  it  was  nearer  to  us. 
The  Khan  had  made  a  cast  and  found  our  line.  Presently 
we  must  face  the  end. 

"  Go,  go !  "  I  said.  "  I  can  keep  them  back  for  a  few 
minutes  and  you  may  escape.  It  is  your  quest,  not  mine. 
Ayesha  awaits  you,  not  me,  and  I  am  weary  of  life.  I 
wish  to  die  and  have  done  with  it." 

Thus  I  gasped,  not  all  at  once,  but  in  broken  words,  as 
I  hobbled  along  clinging  to  Leo's  arm.  But  he  only  an 
swered  in  a  low  voice — • 

"  Be  quiet,  or  they  will  hear  you,"  and  on  he  went, 
dragging  me  with  him.. 

We  were  quite  near  the  water  now,  for  we  could  see  it 
gleaming  below  us,  and  oh!  how  I  longed  for  one  deep 
drink.  I  remember  that  this  was  the  uppermost  desire 
in  my  mind,  to  drink  and  drink.  But  the  hounds  were 
nearer  still  to  us,  so  near  that  we  could  hear  the  pattering 
of  their  feet  on  the  dry  ground  mingled  with  the  thud  of 
the  hoofs  of  the  Khan's  galloping  horse.  We  had  reached 
some  rocks  upon  a  little  rise,  just  where  the  bank  began, 
when  Leo  said  suddenly — 

"  No  use,  we  can't  make  it.  Stop  and  let's  see  the  thing 
through." 

So  we  wheeled  round,  resting  our  backs  against  the 
rock.  There,  about  a  hundred  yards  off,  were  the  death- 
hounds,  but  Heaven  be  praised !  0/2/3'  three  of  them.  The 
rest  had  followed  the  flying  horses,  and  doubtless  when 
they  caught  them  at  last,  which  may  have  been  far  dis 
tant,  had  stopped  to  gorge  themselves  upon  them.  So 
they  were  out  of  the  fight.  Only  three,  and  the  Khan,  a 
wild  figure,  who  galloped  with  them ;  but  those  three,  the 
black  and  red  brute,  Master,  and  two  others  almost  as 
fierce  and  big. 

"  It  might  be  worse,"  said  Leo.  "  If  you  will  try  to 
tackle  the  dogs,  I'll  do  my  best  with  the  Khan,"  and 
stooping  down  he  rubbed  his  palms  in  the  grit,  for  they 


160  'AYES  HA 

were  wet  as  water,  an  example  which  I  followed.  Then 
we  gripped  the  spears  in  our  right  hands  and  the  knives 
in  our  left,  and  waited. 

The  dogs  had  seen  us  now  and  came  on,  growling 
and  baying  fearfully.  With  a  rush  they  came,  and  I  am 
not  ashamed  to  own  that  I  felt  terribly  afraid,  for  the 
brutes  seemed  the  size  of  lions  and  more  fierce.  One,  it 
was  the  smallest  of  them,  outstripped  the  others,  and, 
leaping  up  the  little  rise,  sprang  straight  at  my  throat. 

Why  or  how  I  do  not  know,  but  on  the  impulse  of  the 
moment  I  too  sprang  to  meet  it,  so  that  its  whole  weight 
came  upon  the  point  of  my  spear,  which  was  backed  by  my 
weight.  The  spear  entered  between  its  forelegs^  and  such 
was  the  shock  that  I  was  knocked  backwards.  But  when 
I  regained  my  feet  I  saw  the  dog  rolling  on  the  ground 
before  me  and  gnashing  at  the  spear  shaft,  which  had 
been  twisted  from  my  hand. 

The  other  two  had  jumped  at  Leo,  but  failed  to  get 
hold,  though  one  of  them  tore  away  a  large  fragment  from 
his  tunic.  Foolishly  enough,  he  hurled  his  spear  at  it  but 
missed,  for  the  steel  passed  just  under  its  belly  and  buried 
itself  deep  in  the  ground.  The  pair  of  them  did  not  come 
on  again  at  once.  Perhaps  the  sight  of  their  dying  com 
panion  made  them  pause.  At  any  rate,  they  stood  at  a  lit 
tle  distance  snarling,  where,  as  our  spears  were  gone,  they 
were  safe  from  us. 

Now  the  Khan  had  ridden  up  and  sat  upon  his  horse 
glowering  at  us,  and  his  face  was  like  the  face  of  a  devil. 
I  had  hoped  that  he  might  fear  to  attack,  but  the  moment 
I  saw  his  eyes,  I  knew  that  this  would  not  be.  He  was 
quite  mad  with  hate,  jealousy,  and  the  long-drawn  excite 
ment  of  the  hunt,  and  had  come  to  kill  or  be  killed. 
Sliding  from  the  saddle,  he  drew  his  short  sword — for 
either  he  had  lost  his  spear  or  had  brought  none — and 
made  a  hissing  noise  to  the  two  dogs,  pointing  at  me  with 
the  sword.  I  saw  them  spring  and  I  saw  him  rush  at 
Leo,  and  after  that  who  can  tell  exactly  what  happened? 


THE   HUNT   AND    THE   KILL  161 

My  knife  went  home  to  the  hilt  in  the  body  of  one  dog 
and  it  came  to  the  ground  and  lay  there — for  its  hind 
quarters  were  paralysed,  howling,  snarling  and  biting  at 
me.  But  the  other,  the  fiend  called  Master,  got  me  by 
the  right  arm  beneath  the  elbow,  and  I  felt  my  bones 
crack  in  its  mighty  jaws,  and  the  agony  of  it,  or  so  I  sup 
pose,  caused  me  to  drop  the  knife,  so  that  I  was  weapon 
less.  The  brute  dragged  me  from  the  rock  and  began  to 
shake  and  worry  me,  although  I  kicked  it  in  the  stomach 
with  all  my  strength.  I  fell  to  my  knees  and,  as  it 
chanced,  my  left  hand  came  upon  a  stone  of  about  the 
size  of  a  large  orange,  which  I  gripped.  I  gained  my 
feet  again  and  pounded  at  its  skull  with  the  stone,  but  still 
it  did  not  leave  go,  and  this  was  well  for  me,  for  its  next 
hold  would  have  been  on  my  throat. 

We  twisted  and  tumbled  to  and  fro,  man  and  dog  to 
gether.  At  one  turn  I  thought  that  I  saw  Leo  and  the 
Khan  rolling  over  and  over  each  other  upon  the  ground ; 
at  another,  that  he,  the  Khan,  was  sitting  against  a  stone 
looking  at  me,  and  it  came  into  my  mind  that  he  must 
have  killed  Leo  and  was  watching  while  the  dog  worried 
me  to  death. 

Then  just  as  things  began  to  grow  black,  something 
sprang  forward  and  I  saw  the  huge  hound  lifted  from  the 
earth.  Its  jaws  opened,  my  arm  came  free  and  fell 
against  my  side.  Yes!  the  brute  was  whirling  round  in 
the  air.  Leo  held  it  by  its  hind  legs  and  with  all  his  great 
strength  whirled  it  round  and  round. 

Thud!  He  had  dashed  its  head  against  the  rock,  and  it 
fell  and  lay  still,  a  huddled  heap  of  black  and  red. 

Oddly  enough,  I  did  not  faint ;  I  suppose  that  the  pain 
and  the  shock  to  my  nerves  kept  me  awake,  for  I  heard 
Leo  say  in  a  matter-of-fact  voice  between  his  gasps  for 
breath — 

"  Well,  that's  over,  and  I  think  that  I  have  fulfilled  the 
Shaman's  prophecy.  Let's  look  and  make  sure." 

Then  he  led  me  with  him  to  one  of  the  rocks,  and 


162  AYESHA 

there,  resting  supinely  against  it,  sat  the  Khan,  still  living 
but  unable  to  move  hand  or  foot.  The  madness  had  quite 
left  his  face  and  he  looked  at  us  with  melancholy  eyes, 
like  the  eyes  of  a  sick  child. 

"  You  are  brave  men,"  he  said,  slowly,  "  strong  also, 
to  have  killed  those  hounds  and  broken  my  back.  So  it 
has  come  about  as  was  foretold  by  the  old  Rat.  After 
all,  I  should  have  hunted  Atene,  not  you,  though  now  she 
lives  to  avenge  me,  for  her  own  sake,  not  mine.  Yellow- 
beard,  she  hunts  you  too  and  with  deadlier  hounds  than 
these,  those  of  her  thwarted  passions.  Forgive  me  and  fly 
to  the  Mountain,  Yellow-beard,  whither  I  go  before  you, 
for  there  one  dwells  who  is  stronger  than  Atene." 

Then  his  jaw  dropped  and  he  was  dead. 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE   MESSENGER 

"  HE  is  gone,"  I  panted,  "  and  the  world  hasn't  lost 
much." 

"  Well,  it  didn't  give  him  much,  did  it,  poor  devil,  so 
don't  let's  speak  ill  of  him,"  answered  Leo,  who  had 
thrown  himself  exhausted  to  the  ground.  "  Perhaps  he 
was  all  right  before  they  made  him  mad.  At  any  rate  he 
had  pluck,  for  I  don't  want  to  tackle  such  another." 

"  How  did  you  manage  it  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Dodged  in  beneath  his  sword,  closed  with  him,  threw 
him  and  smashed  him  up  over  that  lump  of  stone.  Sheer 
strength,  that's  all.  A  cruel  business,  but  it  was  his  life  or 
mine,  and  there  you  are.  It's  lucky  I  finished  it  in  time  to 
help  you  before  that  oven-mouthed  brute  tore  your  throat 
out.  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  dog?  It  looks  as  large  as 
a  young  donkey.  Are  you  much  hurt,  Horace  ?  " 

"  Oh,  my  forearm  is  chewed  to  a  pulp,  but  nothing 
else,  I  think.  Let  us  get  down  to  the  water ;  if  I  can't 
drink  soon  I  shall  faint.  Also  the  rest  of  the  pack  is 
somewhere  about,  fifty  or  more  of  them." 

"  I  don't  think  they  will  trouble  us,  they  have  got  the 
horses,  poor  beasts.  Wait  a  minute  and  I  will  come." 

Then  he  rose,  found  the  Khan's  sword,  a  beautiful  and 
ancient  weapon,  and  with  a  single  cut  of  its  keen  edge, 
killed  the  second  dog  that  I  had  wounded,  which  was  still 
yowling  and  snarling  at  us.  After  this  he  collected  the 
two  spears  and  my  knife,  saying  that  they  might  be  use 
ful,  and  without  trouble  caught  the  Khan's  horse,  which 
stood  with  hanging  head  close  by,  so  tired  that  even  this 
desperate  fight  had  not  frightened  it  away. 

163 


164  A  YES  HA 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  up  you  go,  old  fellow.  You  are  not 
fit  to  walk  any  farther ;  "  and  with  his  help  I  climbed  into 
the  saddle. 

Then  slipping  the  rein  over  his  arm  he  led  the  horse, 
which  walked  stiffly,  on  to  the  river,  that  ran  within  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  us,  though  to  me,  tortured  as  I  was 
by  pain  and  half  delirious  with  exhaustion,  the  journey 
seemed  long  enough. 

Still  we  came  there  somehow,  and,  forgetting  my 
wounds,  I  tumbled  from  the  horse,  threw  myself  flat  and 
drank  and  drank,  more,  I  think,  than  ever  I  did  before. 
Not  in  all  my  life  have  I  tasted  anything  so  delicious  as 
was  that  long  draught  of  water.  When  I  had  satisfied 
my  thirst,  I  dipped  my  head  and  made  shift  to  jerk  my 
wounded  arm  into  it,  for  its  coolness  seemed  to  still  the 
pain.  Presently  Leo  rose,  the  water  running  from  his 
face  and  beard,  and  said — 

"  What  shall  we  do  now  ?  The  river  seems  to  be  wide, 
over  a  hundred  yards,  and  it  is  low,  but  there  may  be  deep 
water  in  the  middle.  Shall  we  try  to  cross,  in  which 
case  we  might  drown,  or  stop  where  we  are  till  daylight 
and  take  our  chance  of  the  death-hounds  ?  " 

"  I  can't  go  another  foot,"  I  murmured  faintly,  "  much 
less  try  to  ford  an  unknown  river." 

Now,  about  thirty  yards  from  the  shore  was  an  island 
covered  with  reeds  and  grasses. 

"  Perhaps  we  could  reach  that,"  he  said.  "  Come,  get 
on  to  my  back,  and  we  will  try." 

I  obeyed  with  difficulty,  and  we  set  out,  he  feeling  his 
way  with  the  handle  of  the  spear.  The  water  proved  to 
be  quite  shallow ;  indeed,  it  never  came  much  above  his 
knees,  so  that  we  reached  the  island  without  trouble. 
Here  Leo  laid  me  down  on  the  soft  rushes,  and,  returning 
to  the  mainland,  brought  over  the  black  horse  and  the  re 
maining  weapons,  and  having  unsaddled  the  beast,  knee- 
haltered  and  turned  it  loose,  whereon  it  immediately  lay 
down,  for  it  was  too  spent  to  feed. 


THE   MESSENGER  165 

Then  he  set  to  work  to  doctor  my  wounds.  Well  it 
proved  for  me  that  the  sleeve  of  my  garment  was  so  thick, 
for  even  through  it  the  flesh  of  my  forearm  was  torn  to 
ribbons,  moreover  a  bone  seemed  to  be  broken.  Leo  col 
lected  a  double  handful  of  some  soft  wet  moss  and,  having 
washed  the  arm,  wrapped  it  round  with  a  handkerchief, 
over  which  he  laid  the  moss.  Then  with  a  second  hand 
kerchief  and  some  strips  of  linen  torn  from  our  under 
garments  he  fastened  a  couple  of  split  reeds  to  serve  as 
rough  splints  to  the  wounded  limb.  While  he  was  doing 
this  I  suppose  that  I  slept  or  swooned.  At  any  rate,  I 
remember  no  more. 

Sometime  during  that  night  Leo  had  a  strange  dream, 
of  which  he  told  me  the  next  morning.  I  suppose  that  it 
must  have  been  a  dream  as  certainly  I  saw  or  was  aware 
of  nothing.  Well,  he  dreamed — I  use  his  own  words  as 
nearly  as  possible — that  again  he  heard  those  accursed 
death-hounds  in  full  cry.  Nearer  and  nearer  they  came, 
following  our  spoor  to  the  edge  of  the  river — all  the  pack 
that  had  run  down  the  horses.  At  the  water's  brink  they 
halted  and  were  mute.  Then  suddenly  a  puff  of  wind 
brought  the  scent  of  us  upon  the  island  to  one  of  them 
which  lifted  up  its  head  and  uttered  a  single  bay.  The 
rest  clustered  about  it,  and  all  at  once  they  made  a  dash 
at  the  water. 

Leo  could  see  and  hear  everything.  He  felt  that  after 
all  our  doom  was  now  at  hand,  and  yet,  held  in  the  grip 
of  nightmare,  if  nightmare  it  were,  he  was  quite  unable  to 
stir  or  even  to  cry  out  to  wake  and  warn  me. 

Now  followed  the  marvel  of  this  vision.  Giving  tongue 
as  they  came,  half  swimming  and  half  plunging,  the 
hounds  drew  near  to  the  island  where  we  slept.  Then 
suddenly  Leo  saw  that  we  were  no  longer  alone.  In  front 
of  us,  on  the  brink  of  the  water,  stood  the  figure  of  a 
woman  clad  in  some  dark  garment.  He  could  not  describe 
her  face  or  appearance,  for  her  back  was  towards  him. 


1 66  'AYES  HA 

All  he  knew  was  that  she  stood  there,  like  a  guard,  hold 
ing  some  object  in  her  raised  hand,  and  that  suddenly  the 
advancing  hounds  caught  sight  of  her.  In  an  instant  it 
was  as  though  they  were  paralysed  by  fear — for  their 
bays  turned  to  fearful  howlings.  One  or  two  of  those 
that  were  nearest  to  the  island  seemed  to  lose  their  footing 
and  be  swept  away  by  the  stream.  The  rest  struggled 
back  to  the  bank,  and  fled  wildly  like  whipped  curs. 

Then  the  dark,  commanding  figure,  which  in  his  dream 
Leo  took  to  be  the  guardian  Spirit  of  the  Mountain,  van 
ished.  That  it  left  no  footprints  behind  it  I  can  vouch,  for 
in  the  morning  we  looked  to  see. 

When,  awakened  by  the  sharp  pangs  in  my  arm,  I 
opened  my  eyes  again,  the  dawn  was  breaking.  A  thin 
mist  hung  over  the  river  and  the  island,  and  through  it  I 
could  see  Leo  sleeping  heavily  at  my  side  and  the  shape  of 
the  black  horse,  which  had  risen  and  was  grazing  close  at 
hand.  I  lay  still  for  a  while  remembering  all  that  we  had 
undergone  and  wondering  that  I  should  live  to  wake, 
till  presently  above  the  murmuring  of  the  water  I  heard 
a  sound  which  terrified  me,  the  sound  of  voices.  I  sat  up 
and  peered  through  the  reeds,  and  there  upon  the  bank, 
looking  enormous  in  the  mist,  I  saw  two  figures  mounted 
upon  horses,  those  of  a  woman  and  a  man. 

They  were  pointing  to  the  ground  as  though  they  ex 
amined  spoor  in  the  sand.  I  heard  the  man  say  some 
thing  about  the  dogs  not  daring  to  enter  the  territory  of 
the  Mountain,  a  remark  which  came  back  to  my  mind 
again  after  Leo  had  told  me  his  dream.  Then  I  remem 
bered  how  we  were  placed. 

"  Wake !  "  I  whispered  to  Leo.  "  Wake,  we  are  pur 
sued." 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  rubbing  his  eyes  and  snatching  at 
a  spear.  Now  those  upon  the  bank  saw  him,  and  a  sweet 
voice  spoke  through  the  mist,  saying — 

"  Lay  down  that  weapon,  my  guest,  for  we  are  not  come 
to  harm  you." 


THE   MESSENGER  167 

It  was  the  voice  of  the  Khania  Atene,  and  the  man  with 
her  was  the  old  Shaman  Simbri. 

"  What  shall  we  do  now,  Horace  ?  "  asked  Leo  with 
something  like  a  groan,  for  in  the  whole  world  there  were 
no  two  people  whom  he  less  wished  to  see. 

"  Nothing,"  I  answered,  "  it  is  for  them  to  play." 

"  Come  to  us,"  called  the  Khania  across  the  water.  "  I 
swear  that  we  mean  no  harm.  Are  we  not  alone  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  answered  Leo,  "  but  it  seems  un 
likely.  Where  we  are  we  stop  until  we  are  ready  to 
march  again." 

Atene  spoke  to  Simbri.  What  she  said  we  could  not 
hear,  for  she  whispered,  but  she  appeared  to  be  arguing 
with  him  and  persuading  him  to  some  course  of  which 
he  strongly  disapproved.  Then  suddenly  both  of  them 
put  their  horses  at  the  water  and  rode  to  us  through  the 
shallows.  Reaching  the  island,  they  dismounted,  and  we 
stood  staring  at  each  other.  The  old  man  seemed  very 
weary  in  body  and  oppressed  in  mind,  but  the  Khania  was 
strong  and  beautiful  as  ever,  nor  had  passion  and  fatigue 
left  any  trace  upon  her  inscrutable  face.  It  was  she  who 
broke  the  silence,  saying — 

"  You  have  ridden  fast  and  far  since  last  we  met,  my 
guests,  and  left  an  evil  token  to  mark  the  path  you  took. 
Yonder  among  the  rocks  one  lies  dead.  Say,  how  came 
he  to  his  end,  who  has  no  wound  upon  him  ?  " 

"  By  these,"  answered  Leo,  stretching  out  his  hands. 

"  I  knew  it,"  she  answered,  "  and  I  blame  you  not,  for 
fate  decreed  that  death  for  him,  and  now  it  is  fulfilled. 
Still,  there  are  those  to  whom  you  must  answer  for  his 
blood,  and  I  only  can  protect  you  from  them." 

"  Or  betray  me  to  them,"  said  Leo.  "  Khania,  what  do 
you  seek  ?  " 

''  That  answer  which  you  should  have  given  me  this 
twelve  hours  gone.  Remember,  before  you  speak,  that  I 
alone  can  save  your  life — aye,  and  will  do  it  and  clothe  you 
with  that  dead  madman's  crown  and  mantle." 


1 68  "AYES  HA 

"  You  shall  have  your  answer  on  yonder  Mountain," 
said  Leo,  pointing  to  the  peak  above  us,  "  where  I  seek 
mine." 

She  paled  a  little  and  replied,  "  To  find  that  it  is  death, 
for,  as  I  have  told  you,  the  place  is  guarded  by  savage  folk 
who  know  no  pity." 

"  So  be  it.  Then  Death  is  the  answer  that  we  seek. 
Come,  Horace,  let  us  go  to  meet  him." 

"  I  swear  to  you,"  she  broke  in,  "  that  there  dwells  not 
the  woman  of  your  dreams.  I  am  that  woman,  yes,  even 
I,  as  you  are  the  man  of  mine." 

"  Then,  lady,  prove  it  yonder  upon  the  Mountain,"  Leo 
answered. 

"  There  dwells  there  no  woman,"  Atene  went  on  hur 
riedly,  "  nothing  dwells  there.  It  is  the  home  of  fire  and — • 
a  Voice." 

"  What  voice  ?  " 

"  The  Voice  of  the  Oracle  that  speaks  from  the  fire. 
The  Voice  of  a  Spirit  whom  no  man  has  ever  seen,  or 
shall  see." 

"  Come,  Horace,"  said  Leo,  and  he  moved  towards  the 
horse. 

"  Men,"  broke  in  the  old  Shaman,  "  would  you  rush 
upon  your  doom  ?  Listen ;  I  have  visited  yonder  haunted 
place,  for  it  was  I  who  according  to  custom  brought 
thither  the  body  of  the  Khan  Atene's  father  for  burial, 
and  I  warn  you  to  set  no  foot  within  its  temples." 

"  Which  your  mistress  said  that  we  should  never 
reach,"  I  commented,  but  Leo  only  answered — 

"  We  thank  you  for  your  warning,"  and  added,  "  Hor 
ace,  watch  them  while  I  saddle  the  horse,  lest  they  do  us 
a  mischief." 

So  I  took  the  spear  in  my  uninjured  hand  and  stood 
ready.  But  they  made  no  attempt  to  hurt  us,  only  fell 
back  a  little  and  began  to  talk  in  hurried  whispers.  It 
was  evident  to  me  that  they  were  much  perturbed.  In  a 
few  minutes  the  horse  was  saddled  and  Leo  assisted  me  to 
mount  it.  Then  he  said — 


THE   MESSENGER  169 

"  We  go  to  accomplish  out  fate,  whatever  it  may  be,  but 
before  we  part,  Khania,  I  thank  you  for  the  kindness  you 
have  shown  us,  and  pray  you  to  be  wise  and  forget  that 
we  have  ever  been.  Through  no  will  of  mine  your  hus 
band's  blood  is  on  my  hands,  and  that  alone  must  separate 
us  for  ever.  We  are  divided  by  the  doors  of  death  and 
destiny.  Go  back  to  your  people,  and  pardon  me  if  most 
unwillingly  I  have  brought  you  doubt  and  trouble.  Fare 
well." 

She  listened  with  bowed  head,  then  replied,  very  sadly — 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  gentle  words,  but,  Leo  Vincey, 
we  do  not  part  thus  easily.  You  have  summoned  me  to 
the  Mountain,  and  even  to  the  Mountain  I  shall  follow 
you.  Aye,  and  there  I  will  meet  its  Spirit,  as  I  have 
always  known  I  must  and  as  the  Shaman  here  has  always 
known  I  must.  Yes,  I  will  match  my  strength  and  magic 
against  hers,  as  it  is  decreed  that  I  shall  do.  To  the 
victor  be  that  crown  for  which  we  have  warred  for  ages." 

Then  suddenly  Atene  sprang  to  her  saddle,  and  turn 
ing  her  horse's  head  rode  it  back  through  the  water  to  the 
shore,  followed  by  old  Simbri,  who  lifted  up  his  crooked 
hands  as  though  in  woe  and  fear,  muttering  as  he  went — 

"  You  have  entered  the  forbidden  river  and  now,  Atene, 
the  day  of  decision  is  upon  us  all — upon  us  and  her — that 
predestined  day  of  ruin  and  of  war." 

"  What  do  they  mean  ?  "  asked  Leo  of  me. 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  answered ;  "  but  I  have  no  doubt  we 
shall  find  out  soon  enough  and  that  it  will  be  something 
unpleasant.  Now  for  this  river." 

Before  we  had  struggled  through  it  I  thought  more 
than  once  that  the  day  of  drowning  was  upon  us  also,  for 
in  places  there  were  deep  rapids  which  nearly  swept  us 
away.  But  Leo,  who  waded,  leading  the  Khan's  horse 
by  the  bridle,  felt  his  path  and  supported  himself  with  the 
spear  shaft,  so  that  in  the  end  we  reached  the  other  bank 
safely. 

Beyond  it  lay  a  breadth  of  marshy  lands,  that  doubtless 


170  AYES  HA 

were  overflowed  when  the  torrent  was  in  flood.  Through 
these  we  pushed  our  way  as  fast  as  we  could,  for  w-e  feared 
lest  the  Khania  had  gone  to  fetch  her  escort,  which  we 
thought  she  might  have  left  behind  the  rise,  and  would 
return  with  it  presently  to  hunt  us  down.  At  that  time 
we  did  not  know  what  we  learned  afterwards,  that  with 
its  bordering  river  the  soil  of  the  Mountain  was  abso 
lutely  sacred  and,  in  practice,  inviolable.  True,  it  had 
been  invaded  by  the  people  of  Kaloon  in  several  wars,  but 
on  each  occasion  their  army  was  destroyed  or  met  with 
terrible  disaster.  Little  wonder  then  they  had  come  to 
believe  that  the  House  of  Fire  was  under  the  protection 
of  some  unconquerable  Spirit. 

Leaving  the  marsh,  we  reached  a  bare,  rising  plain, 
which  led  to  the  first  slope  of  the  Mountain  three  or  four 
miles  away.  Here  we  expected  every  moment  to  be  at 
tacked  by  the  savages  of  whom  we  had  heard  so  much, 
but  no  living  creature  did  we  see.  The  place  was  a  desert 
streaked  with  veins  of  rock  that  once  had  been  molten 
lava.  I  do  not  remember  much  else  about  it ;  indeed,  the 
pain  in  my  arm  was  so  sharp  that  I  had  no  eyes  for  physi 
cal  features.  At  length  the  rise  ended  in  a  bare,  broad 
donga,  quite  destitute  of  vegetation,  of  which  the  bottom 
was  buried  in  lava  and  a  debris  of  rocks  washed  down  by 
the  rain  or  melting  snows  from  slopes  above.  This  donga 
was  bordered  on  the  farther  side  by  a  cliff,  perhaps  fifty 
feet  in  height,  in  which  we  could  see  no  opening. 

Still  we  descended  the  place,  that  was  dark  and  rugged ; 
pervaded,  moreover,  by  an  extraordinary  gloom,  and  as 
we  went  perceived  that  its  lava  floor  was  sprinkled  over 
with  a  multitude  of  white  objects.  Soon  we  came  to  the 
first  of  these  and  found  that  it  was  the  skeleton  of  a 
human  being.  Here  was  a  veritable  Valley  of  Dead 
Bones,  thousands  upon  thousands  of  them ;  a  gigantic 
graveyard.  It  seemed  as  though  some  great  army  had 
perished  here. 

Indeed,  we  found  afterwards  that  this  was  the  case,  for 


"It  was  stirring/ 


THE   MESSENGER  171 

on  one  of  those  occasions  in  the  far  past  when  the  people 
of  Kaloon  had  attacked  the  Mountain  tribes,  they  were 
trapped  and  slaughtered  in  this  gully,  leaving  their  bones 
as  a  warning  and  a  token.  Among  these  sad  skeletons  we 
wandered  disconsolately,  seeking  a  path  up  the  opposing 
cliff,  and  finding  none,  until  at  length  we  came  to  a  halt, 
not  knowing  which  way  to  turn.  Then  it  was  that  we  met 
with  our  first  strange  experience  on  the  Mountain. 

The  gulf  and  its  mouldering  relics  depressed  us,  so  that 
for  awhile  we  were  silent,  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  somewhat 
afraid.  Yes,  even  the  horse  seemed  afraid,  for  it  snorted 
a  little,  hung  its  head  and  shivered.  Close  by  us  lay  a 
pile  of  bones,  the  remains  evidently  of  a  number  of 
wretched  creatures  that,  dead  or  living,  had  been  hurled 
down  from  the  cliff  above,  and  on  the  top  of  the  pile  was  a 
little  huddled  heap,  which  we  took  for  more  bones. 

"  Unless  we  can  find  a  way  out  of  this  accursed  charnel- 
house  before  long,  I  think  that  we  shall  add  to  its  com 
pany,"  I  said,  staring  round  me. 

As  the  words  left  my  lips  it  seemed  to  me  that  from 
the  corner  of  my  eye  I  saw  the  heap  on  the  top  of  the 
bones  stir.  I  looked  round.  Yes,  it  was  stirring.  It  rose, 
it  stood  up,  a  human  figure,  apparently  that  of  a  woman — 
but  of  this  I  could  not  be  sure — wrapped  from  head  to 
foot  in  white  and  wearing  a  hanging  veil  over  its  face,  or 
rather  a  mask  with  cut  eye-holes.  It  advanced  towards  us 
while  we  stared  at  it,  till  the  horse,  catching  sight  of  the 
thing,  shied  violently  and  nearly  threw  me.  When  at  a 
distance  of  about  ten  paces  it  paused  and  beckoned  with  its 
hand,  that  was  also  swathed  in  white  like  the  arm  of  a 
mummy. 

"  What  the  devil  are  you  ?  "  shouted  Leo,  arid  his  voice 
echoed  drearily  among  those  naked  rocks.  But  the  crea 
ture  did  not  answer,  it  only  continued  to  beckon. 

Leo  walked  up  to  it  to  assure  himself  that  we  were  not 
the  victims  of  some  hallucination.  As  he  came  it  glided 
back  to  its  heap  of  bones  and  stood  there  like  a  ghost  of 


172  A  YES  HA 

one  dead  arisen  from  amidst  these  grinning  evidences  of 
death,  or  rather  a  swathed  corpse,  for  that  is  what  it  re 
sembled.  Leo  followed  with  the  intention  of  touching  it  to 
assure  himself  of  its  reality,  whereon  it  lifted  its  white- 
wrapped  arm  and  struck  him  lightly  on  the  breast.  Then 
as  he  recoiled  it  pointed  with  its  hand,  first  upwards  as 
though  to  the  Peak  or  the  sky,  and  next  at  the  wall  of  rock 
which  faced  us. 

He  returned  to  me  saying,  "  What  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  Follow,  I  suppose.  It  may  be  a  messenger  from 
above/'  and  I  nodded  toward  the  mountain  crest. 

"  From  below,  more  likely,"  Leo  muttered,  "  for  I  don't 
like  the  look  of  this  guide." 

Still  he  motioned  with  his  hand  to  the  creature  to  pro 
ceed.  Apparently  it  understood,  for  it  turned  to  the  left 
and  began  to  pick  its  way  amongst  the  stones  and  skele 
tons  swiftly  and  without  noise.  We  followed  for  several 
hundred  yards  till  it  reached  a  shallow  cleft  in  the  rock. 
This  cleft  we  had  seen  already,  but  as  it  appeared  to  end 
at  a  depth  of  about  thirty  feet,  we  passed  on.  The  figure 
entered  here  and  vanished. 

"  It  must  be  a  shadow,"  said  Leo  doubtfully. 

"  Nonsense,"  I  answered,  "  shadows  don't  strike  one. 
Go  on." 

So  he  led  the  horse  up  the  cleft,  to  find  that  at  the  end 
it  turned  sharply  to  the  right  and  that  the  form  was 
standing  there  awaiting  us.  Forward  it  went  again  and 
we  after  it  down  a  little  gorge  that  grew  ever  gloomier 
till  it  terminated  in  what  might  have  been  a  cave,  or  a 
gallery  cut  in  the  rock. 

Here  our  guide  came  back  to  us  apparently  with  the 
intention  of  taking  the  horse  by  the  bridle,  but  at  this 
nearer  sight  of  it  the  brute  snorted  and  reared  up,  so  that 
it  almost  fell  backwards  upon  me.  As  it  found  its  feet 
again  the  figure  struck  it  on  the  head  in  the  same  pas 
sionless,  inhuman  way  that  it  had  struck  Leo,  whereon 
the  horse  trembled  and  burst  into  a -sweat  as  though  with 


THE   MESSENGER  173 

fear,  making  no  further  attempt  to  escape  or  to  disobey. 
Then  it  took  one  side  of  the  bridle  in  its  swathed  hand 
and,  Leo  clinging  to  the  other,  we  plunged  into  the  tun 
nel. 

Our  position  was  not  pleasant,  for  we  knew  not  whither 
we  were  being  led  by  this  horrible  conductor,  and  sus 
pected  that  it  might  be  to  meet  our  deaths  in  the  dark 
ness.  Moreover,  I  guessed  that  the  path  was  narrow  and 
bordered  by  some  gulf,  for  as  we  went  I  heard  stones 
fall,  apparently  to  a  considerable  depth,  while  the  poor 
horse  lifted  its  feet  gingerly  and  snorted  in  abject  fear. 
At  length  we  saw  daylight,  and  never  was  I  more  glad  of 
its  advent,  although  it  showed  us  that  there  was  a  gulf 
on  our  right,  and  that  the  path  we  travelled  could  not 
measure  more  than  ten  feet  in  width. 

Now  we  are  out  of  the  tunnel,  that  evidently  had  saved 
us  a  wide  detour,  and  standing  for  the  first  time  upon 
the  actual  slope  of  the  Mountain,  which  stretched  upwards 
for  a  great  number  of  miles  till  it  reached  the  snow-line 
above.  Here  also  we  saw  evidences  of  human  life,  for 
the  ground  was  cultivated  in  patches  and  herds  of  moun 
tain  sheep  and  cattle  were  visible  in  the  distance. 

Presently  we  entered  a  gully,  following  a  rough  path 
that  led  along  the  edge  of  a  raging  torrent.  It  was  a 
desolate  place,  half  a  mile  wide  or  more,  having  hun 
dreds  of  fantastic  lava  boulders  strewn  about  its  slopes. 
Before  we  had  gone  a  mile  I  heard  a  shrill  whistle,  and 
suddenly  from  behind  these  boulders  sprang  a  number  of 
men,  quite  fifty  of  them.  All  we  could  note  at  the  time 
was  that  they  were  brawny,  savage-looking  fellows,  for 
the  most  part  red  haired  and  bearded,  although  their  com 
plexions  were  rather  dark,  who  wore  cloaks  of  white  goat 
skins  and  carried  spears  and  shields.  I  should  imagine 
that  they  were  not  unlike  the  ancient  Picts  and  Scots  as 
they  appeared  to  the  invading  Romans.  At  us  they  came 
uttering  their  shrill,  whistling  cries,  evidently  with  the 
intention  of  spearing  us  on  the  spot. 


174  AYESHA 

"  Now  for  it,"  said  Leo,  drawing  his  sword,  for  escape 
was  impossible ;  they  were  all  round  us.  "  Good-bye, 
Horace." 

"  Good-bye,"  I  answered  rather  faintly,  understanding 
what  the  Khania  and  the  old  Shaman  had  meant  when 
they  said  that  we  should  be  killed  before  we  ascended  the 
first  slope  of  the  Mountain. 

Meanwhile  our  ghastly-looking  guide  had  slipped  be 
hind  a  great  boulder,  and  even  then  it  occurred  to  me  that 
her  part  in  the  tragedy  being  played,  she,  if  it  were  a 
woman  at  all,  was  withdrawing  herself  while  we  met  our 
miserable  fate.  But  here  I  did  her  injustice,  for  she  had,  I 
suppose,  come  to  save  us  from  this  very  fate  which  with 
out  her  presence  we  must  most  certainly  have  suffered. 
When  the  savages  were  within  a  few  yards  suddenly  she 
appeared  on  the  top  of  the  boulder,  looking  like  a  second 
Witch  of  Endor,  and  stretched  out  her  arm.  Not  a  word 
did  she  speak,  only  stretched  out  her  draped  arm,  but  the 
effect  was  remarkable  and  instantaneous. 

At  the  sight  of  her  down  on  to  their  faces  went  those 
wild  men,  every  one  of  them,  as  though  a  lightning  stroke 
had  in  an  instant  swept  them  out  of  existence.  -Then  she  let 
her  arm  fall  and  beckoned,  whereon  a  great  fellow  who,  I 
suppose,  was  the  leader  of  the  band,  rose  and  crept 
towards  her  with  bowed  head,  submissive  as  a  beaten  dog. 
To  him  she  made  signs,  pointing  to  us,  pointing  to  the 
far-off  Peak,  crossing  and  uncrossing  her  white-wrapped 
arms,  but  so  far  as  I  could  hear,  speaking  no  word.  It 
was  evident  that  the  chief  understood  her,  however,  for 
he  said  something  in  a  guttural  language.  Then  he  ut 
tered  his  shrill  whistle,  whereon  the  band  rose  and  de 
parted  thence  at  full  speed,  this  way  and  the  other,  so  that 
in  another  minute  they  had  vanished  as  quickly  as  they 
came. 

Now  our  guide  motioned  to  us  to  proceed,  and  led  the 
way  upward  as  calmly  as  though  nothing  had  happened. 

For  over  two  hours  we  went  on  thus  till  our  path 


THE   MESSENGER  175 

brought  us  from  the  ravine  on  to  a  grassy  declivity,  across 
which  it  wound  its  way.  Here,  to  our  astonishment,  we 
found  a  fire  burning,  and  hanging  above  the  fire  an 
earthenware  pot,  which  was  on  the  boil,  although  we 
could  see  no  man  tending  it.  The  figure  signalled  to  me 
to  dismount,  pointing  to  the  pot  in  token  that  we  were  to 
eat  the  food  which  doubtless  she  had  ordered  the  wild  men 
to  prepare  for  us,  and  very  glad  was  I  to  obey  her.  Pro 
vision  had  been  made  for  the  horse  also,  for  near  the  fire 
lay  a  great  bundle  of  green  forage. 

While  Leo  off-saddled  the  beast  and  spread  the  proven 
der  for  it,  taking  with  me  a  spare  earthen  vessel  that  lay 
ready,  I  went  to  the  edge  of  the  torrent  to  drink  and 
steep  my  wounded  arm  in  its  ice-cold  stream.  This  re 
lieved  it  greatly,  though  by  now  I  was  sure  from  various 
symptoms  that  the  brute  Master's  fangs  had  fortunately 
only  broken  or  injured  the  small  bone,  a  discovery  for 
which  I  was  thankful  enough.  Having  finished  attending 
to  it  as  well  as  I  was  able,  I  filled  the  jar  with  water. 

On  my  way  back  a  thought  struck  me,  and  going  to 
where  our  mysterious  guide  stood  still  as  Lot's  wife  after 
she  had  been  turned  into  a  pillar  of  salt,  I  offered  it  to 
her,  hoping  that  she  would  unveil  her  face  and  drink. 
Then  for  the  first  time  she  showed  some  sign  of  being 
human,  or  so  I  thought,  for  it  seemed  to  me  that  she 
bowed  ever  so  little  in  acknowledgment  of  the  courtesy. 
If  so — and  I  may  have  been  mistaken — this  was  all,  for 
the  next  instant  she  turned  her  back  on  me  to  show  that 
it  was  declined.  So  she  would  not,  or  for  aught  I  knew, 
could  not  drink.  Neither  would  she  eat,  for  when  Leo 
tried  her  afterwards  with  food  she  refused  it  in  like 
fashion. 

Meanwhile  he  had  taken  the  pot  off  the  fire,  and  as 
soon  as  its  contents  grew  cool  enough  we  fell  on  them 
eagerly,  for  we  were  starving.  After  we  had  eaten  and 
drunk,  Leo  re-dressed  my  arm  as  best  he  could  and  we 
rested  awhile.  Indeed,  I  think  that,  being  very  tired,  we 


176  A  YES  HA 

began  to  doze,  for  I  was  awakened  by  a  shadow  falling  on 
us  and  looked  up  to  see  our  corpse-like  guide  standing 
close  by  and  pointing  first  to  the  sun,  then  at  trie  horse, 
as  though  to  show  us  that  \ve  had  far  to  travel.  So  we 
saddled  up  and  went  on  again  somewhat  refreshed,  for 
at  least  we  were  no  longer  ravenous. 

All  the  rest  of  that  day  we  journeyed  on  up  the  grassy 
slopes,  seeing  no  man,  although  occasionally  we  heard 
the  wild  whistle  which  told  us  that  we  were  being  watched 
by  the  Mountain  savages.  By  sundown  the  character 
of  the  country  had  changed,  for  the  grass  was  replaced 
with  rocks,  amongst  which  grew  stunted  firs.  We  had 
left  the  lower  slopes  and  were  beginning  to  climb  the 
Mountain  itself. 

The  sun  sank  and  we  went  on  through  the  twilight. 
The  twilight  died  and  we  went  on  through  the  dark,  our 
path  lit  only  by  the  stars  and  the  faint  radiance  of  the 
glowing  pillar  of  smoke  above  the  Peak,  which  was  re 
flected  on  to  us  from  the  mighty  mantle  of  its  snows. 
Forward  we  toiled,  whilst  a  few  paces  ahead  of  us  walked 
our  unwearying  guide.  If  she  had  seemed  weird  and  in 
human  before,  now  she  appeared  a  very  ghost,  as,  clad 
in  her  graveyard  white,  upon  which  the  faint  light  shim 
mered,  never  speaking,  never  looking  back,  she  glided  on 
noiselessly  between  the  black  rocks  and  the  twisted,  dark- 
green  firs  and  junipers. 

Soon  we  lost  all  count  of  the  road.  We  turned  this 
way  and  turned  that  way,  we  passed  an  open  patch  and 
through  the  shadows  of  a  grove,  till  at  length  as  the  moon 
rose  we  entered  a  ravine,  and  following  a  path  that  ran 
down  it,  came  to  a  place  which  is  best  described  as  a 
large  amphitheatre  cut  by  the  hand  of  nature  out  of  the 
rock  of  the  Mountain.  Evidently  it  was  chosen  as  a  place 
of  defence,  for  its  entrance  was  narrow  and  tortuous, 
built  up  at  the  end  also,  so  that  only  one  person  could 
pass  its  gateway  at  a  time.  Within  an  open  space  and  at 
its  farther  side  stood  low,  stone  houses  built  against  the 


THE   MESSENGER  177 

rock.  In  front  of  these  houses,  the  moonlight  shining  full 
upon  them,  were  gathered  several  hundred  men  and 
women  arranged  in  a  semicircle  and  in  alternate  com 
panies,  who  appeared  to  be  engaged  in  the  celebration  of 
some  rite. 

It  was  wild  enough.  In  front  of  them,  and  in  the  ex 
act  centre  of  the  semi-circle,  stood  a  gigantic,  red-bearded 
man,  who  was  naked  except  for  a  skin  girdle  about  his 
loins.  He  was  swinging  himself  backwards  and  forwards, 
his  hands  resting  upon  his  hips,  and  as  he  swung,  shout 
ing  something  like  " Ho,  haha,  ho!"  When  he  bent 
towards  the  audience  it  bent  towards  him,  and  every  time 
he  straightened  himself  it  echoed  his  final  shout  of  "  Ho! " 
in  a  volume  of  sound  that  made  the  precipices  ring.  Nor 
v/as  this  all,  for  perched  upon  his  hairy  head,  with  arched 
back  and  waving  tail,  stood  a  great  white  cat. 

Anything  stranger,  and  indeed  more  fantastic  than  the 
general  effect  of  this  scene,  lit  by  the  bright  moonlight 
and  set  in  that  \vild  arena,  it  was  never  my  lot  to  witness. 
The  red-haired,  half-naked  men  and  women,  the  gigantic 
priest,  the  mystical  white  cat,  that,  gripping  his  scalp  with 
its  claws,  waved  its  tail  and  seemed  to  take  a  part  in  the 
performance;  the  unholy  chant  and  its  volleying  chorus, 
all  helped  to  make  it  extraordinarily  impressive.  This 
struck  us  the  more,  perhaps,  because  at  the  time  we  could 
not  in  the  least  guess  its  significance,  though  we  imagined 
that  it  must  be  preliminary  to  some  sacrifice  or  offering. 
It  was  like  the  fragment  of  a  nightmare  preserved  by  the 
awakened  senses  in  all  its  mad,  meaningless  reality. 

Now  round  the  open  space  where  these  savages  were 
celebrating  their  worship,  or  whatever  it  might  be,  ran 
a  rough  stone  wall  about  six  feet  in  height,  in  which  wall 
was  a  gateway.  Towards  this  we  advanced  quite  unseen, 
for  upon  our  side  of  the  wall  grew  many  stunted  pines. 
Through  these  pines  our  guide  led  us,  till  in  the  thickest 
of  them,  some  few  yards  from  the  open  gateway  and  a  lit 
tle  to  the  right  of  it,  she  motioned  to  us  to  stop. 


1 78  A  YES  HA 

Then  she  went  to  a  low  place  in  the  wall  and  stood 
there  as  though  she  were  considering  the  scene  beyond.  It 
seemed  to  us,  indeed,  that  she  saw  what  she  had  not  ex 
pected  and  was  thereby  perplexed  or  angered.  Presently 
she  appeared  to  make  up  her  mind,  for  again  she  motioned 
to  us  to  remain  where  we  were,  enjoining  silence  upon  us 
by  placing  her  swathed  hand  upon  the  mask  that  hid  her 
face.  Next  moment  she  was  gone.  How  she  went,  or 
whither,  I  cannot  say ;  all  we  knew  was  that  she  was  no 
longer  there. 

"  What  shall  we  do  now  ?  "  whispered  Leo  to  me. 

"  Stay  where  we  are  till  she  comes  back  again  or  some 
thing  happens,"  I  answered. 

So  there  being  nothing  else  to  be  done,  we  stayed,  hop 
ing  that  the  horse  would  not  betray  us  by  neighing,  or 
that  we  might  not  be  otherwise  discovered,  since  we  were 
certain  that  if  so  we  should  be  in  danger  of  death.  Very 
soon,  however,  we  forgot  the  anxieties  of  our  own  posi 
tion  in  the  study  of  the  wild  scene  before  us,  which  now 
began  to  develop  a  fearful  interest. 

It  would  seem  that  what  has  been  described  was  but 
preliminary  to  the  drama  itself,  and  that  this  drama  was 
the  trial  of  certain  people  for  their  lives.  This  we  could 
guess,  for  after  awhile  the  incantation  ceased  and  the 
crowd  in  front  of  the  big  man  with  the  cat  upon  his 
head  opened  out,  while  behind  him  a  column  of  smoke 
rose  into  the  air,  as  though  light  had  been  set  to  some 
sunk  furnace. 

Into  the  space  that  had  thus  been  cleared  were  now  led 
seven  persons,  whose  hands  were  tied  behind  them.  They 
were  of  both  sexes  and  included  an  old  man  and  a  woman 
with  a  tall  and  handsome  figure,  who  appeared  to  be  quite 
young,  scarcely  more  than  a  girl  indeed.  These  seven 
were  ranged  in  a  line  where  they  stood,  clearly  in  great 
fear,  for  the  old  man  fell  upon  his  knees  and  one  of  the 
women  began  to  sob.  Thus  they  were  left  awhile,  per 
haps  to  allow  the  fire  behind  them  to  burn  up,  which  it 


THE   MESSENGER  179 

soon  did  with  great  fierceness,  throwing  a  vivid  light1 
upon  every  detail  of  the  spectacle. 

Now  all  was  ready,  and  a  man  brought  a  wooden  tray 
to  the  red-bearded  priest,  who  was  seated  on  a  stool,  the 
white  cat  upon  his  knees,  whither  we  had  seen  it  leap 
from  his  head  a  little  while  before.  He  took  the  tray  by 
its  handles  and  at  a  word  from  him  the  cat  jumped  on  to 
it  and  sat  there.  Then  amidst  the  mest  intense  silence  he 
rose  and  uttered  some  prayer,  apparently  to  the  cat,  which 
sat  facing  him.  This  done  he  turned  the  tray  round  so 
that  the  creature's  back  was  now  towards  him,  and,  ad 
vancing  to  the  line  of  prisoners,  began  to  walk  up  and 
down  in  front  of  them,  which  he  did  several  times,  at  each 
turn  drawing  a  little  nearer. 

Holding  out  the  tray,  he  presented  it  at  the  face  of  the 
prisoner  on  the  left,  whereon  the  cat  rose,  arched  its  back 
and  began  to  lift  its  paws  up  and  down.  Presently  he 
moved  to  the  next  prisoner  and  held  it  before  him  awhile, 
and  so  on  till  he  came  to  the  fifth,  that  young  woman  of 
whom  I  have  spoken.  Now  the  cat  grew  very  angry,  for 
in  the  death-Hive  stillness  we  could  hear  it  spitting  and 
growling.  At  length  it  seemed  to  lift  its  paws  and  strike 
the  girl  upon  the  face,  whereon  she  screamed  aloud,  a 
terrible  scream.  Then  all  the  audience  broke  out  into  a 
shout,  a  single  word,  which  we  understood,  for  we  had 
heard  one  very  like  it  used  by  the  people  of  the  Plain.  It 
was  "  Witch !  Witch  !  Witch!  " 

Executioners  who  were  waiting  for  the  victim  to  be 
chosen  in  this  ordeal  by  cat,  rushed  forward  and  seizing 
the  girl  began  to  drag  her  towards  the  fire.  The  prisoner 
who  was  standing  by  her  and  whom  we  rightly  guessed 
to  be  her  husband,  tried  to  protect  her,  but  his  arms  being 
bound,  poor  fellow,  he  could  do  nothing.  One  of  the  exe 
cutioners  knocked  him  down  with  a  stick.  For  a  moment 
his  wife  escaped  and  threw  herself  upon  him,  but  the 
brutes  lifted  her  up  again,  haling  her  towards  the  fire, 
whilst  all  the  audience  shouted  wildly. 


i8o  AYES  HA 

"  I  can't  stand  this,"  said  Leo,  "  it's  murder — cold 
blooded  murder,"  and  he  drew  his  sword. 

"  Best  leave  the  beasts  alone,"  I  answered  doubtfully, 
though  my  own  blood  was  boiling  in  my  veins. 

Whether  he  heard  or  not  I  do  not  know,  for  the 
next  thing  I  saw  was  Leo  rushing  through  the  gate  wav 
ing  the  Khan's  sword  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
Then  I  struck  my  heels  into  the  ribs  of  the  horse  and  fol 
lowed  after  him.  In  ten  seconds  wre  were  among  them. 
As  we  came  the  savages  fell  back  this  way  and  that,  star 
ing  at  us  amazed,  for  at  first  I  think  they  took  us  for  ap 
paritions.  Thus  Leo  on  foot  and  I  galloping  after  him, 
we  came  to  the  place. 

The  executioners  and  their  victim  were  near  the  fire 
now — a  very  great  fire  of  resinous  pine  logs  built  in  a  pit 
that  measured  about  eight  feet  across.  Close  to  it  sat 
the  priest  upon  his  stool,  watching  the  scene  with  a  cruel 
smile,  and  rewarding  the  cat  with  little  gobbets  of  raw 
meat,  that  he  took  from  a  leathern  pouch  at  his  side,  occu 
pations  in  which  he  was  so  deeply  engaged  that  he  never 
saw  us  until  we  were  right  on  to  him. 

Shouting,  "  Leave  her  alone,  you  blackguards,"  Leo 
rushed  at  the  executioners,  and  with  a  single  blow  of  his 
sword  severed  the  arm  of  one  of  them  who  gripped  the 
woman  by  the  nape  of  the  neck. 

With  a  yell  of  pain  and  rage  the  man  sprang  back  and 
stood  waving  the  stump  towards  the  people  and  staring  at 
it  wildly.  In  the  confusion  that  followed  I  saw  the  victim 
slip  from  the  hands  of  her  astonished  would-be  murderers 
and  run  into  the  darkness,  where  she  vanished.  Also  I 
saw  the  witch-doctor  spring  up,  still  holding  the  tray  on 
which  the  cat  was  sitting,  and  heard  him  begin  to  shout  a 
perfect  torrent  of  furious  abuse  at  Leo,  who  in  reply 
waved  his  sword  and  cursed  him  roundly  in  English  and 
many  other  languages. 

Then  of  a  sudden  the  cat  upon  the  tray,  infuriated,  I 
suppose,  by  the  noise  and  the  interruption  of  its  meal, 


THE   MESSENGER  181 

sprang  straight  at  Leo's  face.  He  appeared  to  catch  it 
in  mid-air  with  his  left  hand  and  with  all  his  strength 
dashed  it  to  the  ground,  where  it  lay  writhing  and  screech 
ing.  Then,  as  though  by  an  afterthought,  he  stooped, 
picked  the  devilish  creature  up  again  and  hurled  it  into 
the  heart  of  the  fire,  for  he  was  mad  with  rage  and  knew 
not  what  he  did. 

At  the  sight  of  that  awful  sacrilege — for  such  it  was  to 
them  who  worshipped  this  beast — a  gasp  of  horror  rose 
from  the  spectators,  followed  by  a  howl  of  execration. 
Then  like  a  wave  of  the  sea  they  rushed  at  us.  I  saw  Leo 
cut  one  man  down,  and  next  instant  I  was  off  the  horse 
and  being  dragged  towards  the  furnace.  At  the  edge  of 
it  I  met  Leo  in  like  plight,  but  fighting  furiously,  for  his 
strength  was  great  and  they  were  half  afraid  of  him. 

"  Why  couldn't  you  leave  the  cat  alone  ?  "  I  shouted  at 
him  in  idiotic  remonstrance,  for  my  brain  had  gone,  and 
all  I  knew  was  that  we  were  about  to  be  thrown  into  the 
fiery  pit.  Already  I  was  over  it ;  I  felt  the  flames  singe  my 
hair  and  saw  its  red  caverns  awaiting  me,  when  of  a  sud 
den  the  brutal  hands  that  held  me  were  unloosed  and  I 
fell  backwards  to  the  ground,  where  I  lay  staring  up 
wards. 

This  was  what  I  saw.  Standing  in  front  of  the  fire,  her 
draped  form  quivering  as  though  with  rage,  was  our 
ghostly-looking  guide,  who  pointed  with  her  hand  at  the 
gigantic,  red-headed  witch-doctor.  But  she  was  no 
longer  alone,  for  with  her  were  a  score  or  more  of  men 
clad  in  white  robes  and  armed  with  swords;  black-eyed, 
ascetic-looking  men,  with  clean-shaved  heads  and  faces, 
for  their  scalps  shone  in  the  firelight. 

At  the  sight  of  them  terror  had  seized  that  multitude 
which,  mad  as  goaded  bulls  but  a  few  seconds  before,  now 
fled  in  every  direction  like  sheep  frightened  by  a  wolf. 
The  leader  of  the  white-robed  priests,  a  man  with  a  gen 
tle  face,  which  when  at  rest  was  clothed  in  a  perpetual 
smile,  was  addressing  the  medicine-man,  and  I  under 
stood  something  of  his  talk. 


i82  AYESHA 

"  Dog,"  he  said  in  effect,  speaking  in  a  smooth,  meas 
ured  voice  that  yet  was  terrible,  "  accursed  dog,  beast- 
worshipper,  what  were  you  about  to  do  to  the  guests  of 
the  mighty  Mother  of  the  Mountain?  Is  it  for  this  that 
you  and  your  idolatries  have  been  spared  so  long?  An 
swer,  if  you  have  anything  to  say.  Answer  quickly,  for 
your  time  is  short." 

With  a  groan  of  fear  the  great  fellow  flung  himself 
upon  his  knees,  not  to  the  head-priest  who  questioned  him, 
but  before  the  quivering  shape  of  our  guide,  and  to  her 
put  up  half-articulate  prayers  for  mercy. 

"  Cease,"  said  the  high-priest,  "  she  is  the  Minister  who 
judges  and  the  Sword  that  strikes.  I  am  the  Ears  and  the 
Voice.  Speak  and  tell  me — were  you  about  to  cast  those 
men,  whom  you  were  commanded  to  receive  hospitably, 
into  yonder  fire  because  they  saved  the  victim  of  your  f 
devilries  and  killed  the  imp  you  cherished?  Nay,  I  saw 
it  all.  Know  that  it  was  but  a  trap  set  to  catch  you,  who 
have  been  allowed  to  live  too  long." 

But  still  the  wretch  writhed  before  the  draped  form  and 
howled  for  mercy. 

"  Messenger,"  said  the  high-priest,  "  with  thee  the 
power  goes.  Declare  thy  decree." 

Then  our  guide  lifted  her  hand  slowly  and  pointed  to 
the  fire.  At  once  the  man  turned  ghastly  white,  groaned 
and  fell  back,  as  I  think,  quite  dead,  slain  by  his  own  ter 
ror. 

Now  many  of  the  people  had  fled,  but  some  remained, 
and  to  these  the  priest  called  in  cold  tones,  bidding  them 
approach.  They  obeyed,  creeping  towards  him. 

"  Look,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  man,  "  look  and  trem 
ble  at  the  justice  of  Hes  the  Mother.  Aye,  and  be  sure 
that  as  it  is  with  him,  so  shall  it  be  with  every  one  of  you 
who  dares  to  defy  her  and  to  practise  sorcery  and  murder. 
Lift  up  that  dead  dog  who  was  your  chief." 

Some  of  them  crept  forward  and  did  his  bidding. 

"  Now,  cast  him  into  the  bed  which  he  had  made  ready 
for  his  victims." 


THE   MESSENGER  183 

Staggering  forward  to  the  edge  of  the  flaming  pit,  they 
obeyed,  and  the  great  body  fell  with  a  crash  amongst  the 
burning  boughs  and  vanished  there. 

"  Listen,  you  people,"  said  the  priest,  "  and  learn  that 
this  man  deserved  his  dreadful  doom.  Know  you  why 
he  purposed  to  kill  that  woman  whom  the  strangers 
saved  ?  Because  his  familiar  marked  her  as  a  witch,  you 
think.  I  tell  you  it  was  not  so.  It  was  because  she  being 
fair,  he  would  have  taken  her  from  her  husband,  as  he 
had  taken  many  another,  and  she  refused  him.  But  the 
Eye  saw,  the  Voice  spoke,  and  the  Messenger  did  judg 
ment.  He  is  caught  in  his  own  snare,  and  so  shall  you  be, 
every  one  of  you  who  dares  to  think  evil  in  his  heart  or  to 
do  it  with  his  hands. 

"  Such  is  the  just  decree  of  the  Hesea,  spoken  by  her* 
from  her  throne  amidst  the  fires  of  the  Mountain." 


CHAPTER   XIII 

BENEATH    THE    SHADOWING    WINGS 

ONE  by  one  the  terrified  tribesmen  crept  away.  When 
the  last  of  them  were  gone  the  priest  advanced  to  Leo 
and  saluted  him  by  placing  his  hand  upon  his  forehead. 

"  Lord,"  he  said,  in  the  same  corrupt  Grecian  dialect 
which  was  used  by  the  courtiers  of  Kaloon,  "  I  will  not 
ask  if  you  are  hurt,  since  from  the  moment  that  you 
entered  the  sacred  river  and  set  foot  within  this  land  you 
and  your  companion  were  protected  by  a  power  invisible 
and  could  not  be  harmed  by  man  or  spirit,  however  great 
may  have  seemed  your  danger.  Yet  vile  hands  have  been 
laid  upon  you,  and  this  is  the  command  of  the  Mother 
whom  I  serve,  that,  if  you  desire  it,  every  one  of  those 
men  who  touched  you  shall  die  before  your  eyes.  Say,  is 
that  your  will  ?  " 

"  Nay,"  answered  Leo ;  "  they  were  mad  and  blind,  let 
no  blood  be  shed  for  us.  All  we  ask  of  you,  friend — but, 
how  are  you  called  ?  " 

"  Name  me  Oros,"  he  answered. 

"  Friend  Oros — a  good  title  for  one  who  dwells  upon 
the  Mountain — all  we  ask  is  food  and  shelter,  and  to  be 
led  swiftly  into  the  presence  of  her  whom  you  name 
Mother,  that  Oracle  whose  wisdom  we  have  travelled  far 
to  seek." 

He  bowed  and  answered :  "  The  food  and  shelter  are 
prepared  and  to-morrow,  when  you  have  rested,  I  am 
commanded  to  conduct  you  whither  you  desire  to  be. 
Follow  me,  I  pray  you  " ;  and  he  preceded  us  past  the 
fiery  pit  to  a  building  that  stood  about  fifty  yards  away 
against  the  rock  wall  of  the  amphitheatre. 

184 


BENEATH    THE   SHADOWING    WINGS  185, 

It  would  seem  that  it  was  a  guest-house,  or  at  least  had 
been  made  ready  to  serve  that  purpose,  as  in  it  lamps  were 
lit  and  a  fire  burned,  for  here  the  air  was  cold.  The  house 
was  divided  into  two  rooms,  the  second  of  them  a  sleeping 
place,  to  which  he  led  us  through  the  first. 

"  Enter,"  he  said,  "  for  you  will  need  to  cleanse  your 
selves,  and  you  " — here  he  addressed  himself  to  me — "  to 
be  treated  for  that  hurt  to  your  arm  which  you  had  from 
the  jaws  of  the  great  hound." 

"  How  know  you  that  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  It  matters  not  if  I  do  know  and  have  made  ready," 
Oros  answered  gravely. 

This  second  room  was  lighted  and  warmed  like  the  first, 
moreover,  heated  water  stood  in  basins  of  metal  and  on 
the  beds  were  laid  clean  linen  garments  and  dark-col 
oured  hooded  robes,  lined  with  rich  fur.  Also  upon  a  little 
table  were  ointments,  bandages,  and  splints,  a  marvellous 
thing  to  see,  for  it  told  me  that  the  very  nature  of  my 
hurt  had  been  divined.  But  I  asked  no  more  questions; 
I  was  too  weary;  moreover,  I  knew  that  it  would  be  use 
less. 

Now  the  priest  Oros  helped  me  to  remove  my  tattered 
robe,  and,  undoing  the  rough  bandages  upon  my  arm, 
washed  it  gently  with  warm  water,  in  which  he  mixed 
some  spirit,  and  examined  it  with  the  skill  of  a  trained 
doctor. 

"  The  fangs  rent  deep,"  he  said,  "  and  the  small  bone  is 
broken,  but  you  will  take  no  harm,  save  for  the  scars 
which  must  remain."  Then,  having  treated  the  wounds 
with  ointment,  he  wrapped  the  limb  with  such  a  delicate 
touch  that  it  scarcely  pained  me,  saying  that  by  the  mor 
row  the  swelling  would  have  gone  down  and  he  would 
set  the  bone.  This  indeed  happened. 

After  it  was  done  he  helped  me  to  wash  and  to  clothe 
myself  in  the  clean  garments,  and  put  a  sling  about  my 
neck  to  serve  as  a  rest  for  my  arm.  Meanwhile  Leo  had 
also  dressed  himself,  so  that  we  left  the  chamber  together 


1 86  AYES  HA 

very  different  men  to  the  foul,  blood-stained  wanderers 
who  had  entered  there.  In  the  outer  room  we  found  food 
prepared  for  us,  of  which  we  ate  with  a  thankful  heart  and 
without  speaking.  Then,  blind  with  weariness,  we  re 
turned  to  the  other  chamber  and,  having  removed  our 
outer  garments,  flung  ourselves  upon  the  beds  and  were 
soon  plunged  in  sleep. 

At  some  time  in  the  night  I  awoke  suddenly,  at  what 
hour  I  do  not  know,  as  certain  people  wake,  I  among 
them,  when  their  room  is  entered,  even  without  the  slight 
est  noise.  Before  I  opened  my  eyes  I  felt  that  some  one 
was  with  us  in  the  place.  Nor  was  I  mistaken.  A  little 
lamp  still  burned  in  the  chamber,  a  mere  wick  floating  in 
oil,  and  by  its  light  I  saw  a  dim,  ghost-like  form  standing 
near  the  door.  Indeed  I  thought  almost  that  it  was  a 
ghost,  till  presently  I  remembered,  and  knew  it  for  our 
corpse-like  guide,  who  appeared  to  be  looking  intently 
at  the  bed  on  which  Leo  lay,  or  so  I  thought,  for  the  head 
was  bent  in  that  direction. 

At  first  she  was  quite  still,  then  she  moaned  aloud,  a 
low  and  terrible  moan,  which  seemed  to  well  from  the 
very  heart. 

So  the  thing  was  not  dumb,  as  I  had  believed.  Evi 
dently  it  could  suffer,  and  express  its  suffering  in  a  human 
fashion.  Look !  it  was  wringing  its  padded  hands  as  in 
an  excess  of  woe.  Now  it  would  seem  that  Leo  began  to 
feel  its  influence  also,  for  he  stirred  and  spoke  in  his 
sleep,  so  low  at  first  that  I  could  only  distinguish  the 
tongue  he  used,  which  was  Arabic.  Presently  I  caught  a 
few  words. 

"Ayesha,"  he  said,  "  Ayesha!" 

The  figure  glided  towards  him  and  stopped.  He  sat 
up  in  the  bed  still  fast  asleep,  for  his  eyes  were  shut.  He 
stretched  out  his  arms,  as  though  seeking  one  whom  he 
would  embrace,  and  spoke  again  in  a  low  and  passionate 
voice — 

"  Ayesha,  through  life  and  death  I  have  sought  thee 
long.  Come  to  me,  my  goddess,  my  desired." 


BENEATH    THE   SHADOWING    WINGS  187 

The  figure  glided  yet  nearer,  and  I  could  see  that  it  was 
trembling,  and  now  its  arms  were  extended  also. 

At  the  bedside  she  halted,  and  Leo  laid  himself  down 
again.  Now  the  coverings  had  fallen  back,  exposing  his 
breast,  where  lay  the  leather  satchel  he  always  wore,  that 
which  contained  the  lock  of  Ayesha's  hair.  He  was  fast 
asleep,  and  the  figure  seemed  to  fix  its  eyes  upon  this 
satchel.  Presently  it  did  more,  for,  with  surprising  deft 
ness  those  white-wrapped  fingers  opened  its  clasp,  yes, 
and  drew  out  the  long  tress  of  shining  hair.  Long  and 
earnestly  she  gazed  at  it,  then  gently  replaced  the  relic, 
closed  the  satchel  and  for  a  little  while  seemed  to  weep. 
While  she  stood  thus  the  dreaming  Leo  once  more 
stretched  out  his  arms  and  spoke,  saying,  in  the  same 
passion-laden  voice — 

"  Come  to  me,  my  darling,  my  beautiful,  my  beauti 
ful  !  " 

At  those  words,  with  a  little  mufHed  scream,  like  that  of 
a  scared  night-bird,  the  figure  turned  and  flitted  through 
the  doorway. 

When  I  was  quite  certain  that  she  had  gone,  I  gasped 
aloud. 

What  might  this  mean,  I  wondered,  in  a  very  agony  of 
bewilderment.  This  could  certainly  be  no  dream :  it  was 
real,  for  I  was  wide  awake.  Indeed,  what  did  it  all  mean  ? 
Who  was  the  ghastly,  mummy-like  thing  which  had 
guided  us  unharmed  through  such  terrible  dangers;  the 
Messenger  that  all  men  feared,  who  could  strike  down  a 
brawny  savage  with  a  motion  of  its  hand?  Why  did  it 
creep  into  the  place  thus  at  dead  of  night,  like  a  spirit  re 
visiting  one  beloved  ?  Wrhy  did  its  presence  cause  me  to 
awake  and  Leo  to  dream  ?  Why  did  it  draw  out  the  tress ; 
indeed,  how  knew  it  that  this  tress  was  hidden  there? 
And  why — oh !  why,  at  those  tender  and  passionate  words 
did  it  flit  away  at  last  like  some  scared  bat  ? 

The  priest  Oros  had  called  our  guide  Minister,  and 


i88  AYESHA 

Sword,  that  is,  one  who  carries  out  decrees.  But  what 
if  they  were  its  own  decrees?  What  if  this  thing  should 
be  she  whom  we  sought,  Ayesha  herself  ?  Why  should  I 
tremble  at  the  thought,  seeing  that  if  so,  our  quest  was 
ended,  we  had  achieved  ?  Oh !  it  must  be  because  about 
this  being  there  was  something  terrible,  something  un- 
human  and  appalling.  If  Ayesha  lived  within  those 
mummy-cloths,  then  it  was  a  different  Ayesha  whom  we 
had  known  and  worshipped.  Well  could  I  remember  the 
white-draped  form  of  She-Who-Must-Be-Obcyed,  and 
how,  long  before  she  revealed  her  glorious  face  to  us,  we 
guessed  the  beauty  and  the  majesty  hidden  beneath  that 
veil  by  which  her  radiant  life  and  loveliness  incarnate 
could  not  be  disguised. 

But  what  of  this  creature?  I  would  not  pursue  the 
thought.  I  was  mistaken.  Doubtless  she  was  what  the 
priest  Oros  had  said — some  half-supernatural  being  to 
whom  certain  powers  were  given,  and,  doubtless,  she  had 
come  to  spy  on  us  in  our  rest  that  she  might  make  report 
to  the  giver  of  those  powers. 

Comforting  myself  thus  I  fell  asleep  again,  for  fatigue 
overcame  even  such  doubts  and  fears.  In  the  morning, 
when  they  were  naturally  less  vivid,  I  made  up  my  mind 
that,  for  various  reasons,  it  would  be  wisest  to  say  noth 
ing  of  what  I  had  seen  to  Leo.  Nor,  indeed,  did  I  do  so 
until  some  days  had  gone  by. 

When  I  awoke  the  full  light  was  pouring  into  the  cham 
ber,  and  by  it  I  saw  the  priest  Oros  standing  at  my  bed 
side.  I  sat  up  and  asked  him  what  time  it  was,  to  which 
he  answered  with  a  smile,  but  in  a  low  voice,  that  it  lacked 
but  two  hours  of  mid-day,  adding  that  he  had  come  to  set 
my  arm.  Now  I  saw  why  he  spoke  low,  for  Leo  was  still 
fast  asleep. 

"  Let  him  rest  on,"  he  said,  as  he  undid  the  wrappings 
on  my  arm,  "  for  he  has  suffered  much,  and,"  he  con 
tinued  significantly,  "  may  still  have  more  to  suffer." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  friend  Oros  ?  "  I  asked  sharply. 


BENEATH    THE   SHADOWING    WINGS  189 

"  I  thought  you  told  us  that  we  were  safe  upon  this  Moun 
tain." 

"  I  told  you,  friend "  and  he  looked  at  me. 

"  Holly  is  my  name " 

"  — friend  Holly,  that  your  bodies  are  safe.  I  said 
nothing  of  all  the  rest  of  you.  Man  is  more  than  flesh 
and  blood.  He  is  mind  and  spirit  as  well,  and  these  can 
be  injured  also." 

"  Who  is  there  that  would  injure  them?  "  I  asked. 

"  Friend,"  he  answered,  gravely,  "  you  and  your  com 
panion  have  come  to  a  haunted  land,  not  as  mere  wander 
ers,  for  then  you  would  be  dead  ere  now,  but  of  set  pur 
pose,  seeking  to  lift  the  veil  from  mysteries  which  have 
been  hid  for  ages.  Well,  your  aim  is  known  and  it  may 
chance  that  it  will  be  achieved.  But  if  this  veil  is  lifted,  it 
may  chance  also  that  you  will  find  what  shall  send  your 
souls  shivering  to  despair  and  madness.  Say,  are  you  not 
afraid  ? " 

"  Somewhat,"  I  answered.  "  Yet  my  foster-son  and  I 
have  seen  strange  things  and  lived.  We  have  seen  the 
very  Light  of  Life  roll  by  in  majesty;  we  have  been  the 
guests  of  an  Immortal,  and  watched  Death  seem  to  con 
quer  her  and  leave  us  untouched.  Think  you  then  that 
we  will  turn  cowards  now?  Nay,  we  march  on  to  fulfil 
our  destinies." 

At  these  words  Oros  showed  neither  curiosity  nor  sur 
prise  ;  it  was  as  though  I  told  him  only  what  he  knew. 

"  Good,"  he  replied,  smiling,  and  with  a  courteous  bow 
of  his  shaven  head,  "  within  an  hour  you  shall  march  on — 
to  fulfil  your  destinies.  If  I  have  warned  you,  forgive 
me,  for  I  was  bidden  so  to  do,  perhaps  to  try  your  mettle. 
Is  it  needful  that  I  should  repeat  this  warning  to  the 
lord "  and  again  he  looked  at  me. 

"  Leo  Vincey,"  I  said. 

"  Leo  Vincey,  yes,  Leo  Vincey,"  he  repeated,  as  though 
the  name  were  familiar  to  him  but  had  slipped  his  mind. 
"  But  you  have  not  answered  my  question.  Is  it  needful 
that  I  should  repeat  the  warning  ?  " 


AYES  HA 

"  Not  in  the  least ;  but  you  can  do  so  if  you  wish  when 
he  awakes." 

"  Nay,  I  think  with  you,  that  it  would  be  but  waste  of 
words,  for — forgive  the  comparison — what  the  wolf 
dares  " — and  he  looked  at  me — "  the  tiger  does  not  flee 
from,"  and  he  nodded  towards  Leo.  "  There,  see  how 
much  better  are  the  wounds  upon  your  arm,  which  is  no 
longer  swollen.  Now  I  will  bandage  it,  and  within  some 
few  weeks  the  bone  will  be  as  sound  again  as  it  was  before 
you  met  the  Khan  Rassen  hunting  in  the  Plains.  By  the 
way,  you  will  see  him  again  soon,  and  his  fair  wife  with 
him." 

"  See  him1  again  ?  Do  the  dead,  then,  come  to  life  upon 
this  Mountain  ?  " 

"  Nay,  but  certain  of  them  are  brought  hither  for  burial. 
It  is  the  privilege  of  the  rulers  of  Kaloon ;  also,  I  think, 
that  the  Khani  has  questions  to  ask  of  its  Oracle." 

"  Who  is  its  Oracle  ?  "  I  asked  with  eagerness. 

"  The  Oracle,"  he  replied  darkly,  "  is  a  Voice.  It  was 
ever  so,  was  it  not  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  have  heard  that  from  Atene,  but  a  voice  im 
plies  a  speaker.  Is  this  speaker  she  whom  you  name 
Mother?" 

"  Perhaps,  friend  Holly." 

"  And  is  this  Mother  a  spirit?  " 

"  It  is  a  point  that  has  been  much  debated.  They  told 
you  so  in  the  Plains,  did  they  not  ?  Also  the  Tribes  think 
it  on  the  Mountain.  Indeed,  the  thing  seems  reasonable, 
seeing  that  all  of  us  who  live  are  flesh  and  spirit.  But 
you  will  form  your  own  judgment  and  then  we  can  discuss 
the  matter.  There,  your  arm  is  finished.  Be  careful  now 
not  to  strike  it  or  to  fall,  and  look,  your  companion 
awakes." 

Something  over  an  hour  later  we  started  upon  our  up 
ward  journey.  I  was  again  mounted  on  the  Khan's  horse, 
which  having  been  groomed  and  fed  was  somewhat  rested, 


BENEATH    THE   SHADOWING    WINGS  191 

while  to  Leo  a  litter  had  been  offered.  This  he  declined, 
however,  saying  that  he  had  now  recovered  and  would 
not  be  carried  like  a  woman.  So  he  walked  by  the  side  of 
my  horse,  using  his  spear  as  a  staff.  We  passed  the  fire- 
pit — now  full  of  dead,  white  ashes,  among  which  were 
mixed  those  of  the  witch-finder  and  his  horrible  cat — 
preceded  by  our  dumb  guide,  at  the  sight  of  whom,  in  her 
pale  wrappings,  the  people  of  the  tribe  who  had  returned 
to  their  village  prostrated  themselves,  and  so  remained 
until  she  was  gone  by. 

One  of  them,  however,  rose  again  and,  breaking 
through  our  escort  of  priests,  ran  to  Leo,  knelt  before  him 
and  kissed  his  hand.  It  was  that  young  woman  whose 
life  he  had  saved,  a  noble-looking  girl,  with  masses  of  red 
hair,  and  by  her  was  her  husband,  the  marks  of  his  bonds 
still  showing  on  his  arms.  Our  guide  seemed  to  see  this 
incident,  though  how  she  did  so  I  do  not  know.  At  any 
rate  she  turned  and  made  some  sign  which  the  priest  inter 
preted. 

Calling  the  woman  to  him  he  asked  her  sternly  how  she 
dared  to  touch  the  person  of  this  stranger  with  her  vile 
lips.  She  answered  that  it  was  because  her  heart  was 
grateful.  Oros  said  that  for  this  reason  she  was  for 
given;  moreover,  that  in  reward  for  what  they  had  suf 
fered  he  was  commanded  to  lift  up  her  husband  to  be  the 
ruler  of  that  tribe  during  the  pleasure  of  the  Mother.  He 
gave  notice,  moreover,  that  all  should  obey  the  new  chief 
in  his  place,  according  to  their  customs,  and  if  he  did  any 
evil,  make  report  that  he  might  suffer  punishment.  Then 
waving  the  pair  aside,  without  listening  to  their  thanks  or 
the  acclamations  of  the  crowd,  he  passed  on. 

As  we  went  down  the  ravine  by  which  we  had  ap 
proached  the  village  on  the  previous  night,  a  sound  of 
chanting  struck  our  ears.  Presently  the  path  turned,  and 
we  saw  a  solemn  procession  advancing  up  that  dismal, 
sunless  gorge.  At  the  head  of  it  rode  none  other  than  the 
beautiful  Khania,  followed  by  her  great-uncle,  the  old 


192  'AYESHA 

Shaman,  and  after  these  came  a  company  of  shaven  priests 
in  their  white  robes,  bearing  between  them  a  bier,  upon 
which,  its  face  uncovered,  lay  the  body  of  the  Khan, 
draped  in  a  black  garment.  Yet  he  looked  better  thus 
than  he  had  ever  done,  for  now  death  had  touched  this 
insane  and  dissolute  man  with  something  of  the  dignity 
which  he  lacked  in  life. 

Thus  then  we  met.  At  the  sight  of  our  guide's  white 
form,  the  horse  which  the  Khania  rode  reared  up  so  vio 
lently  that  I  thought  it  would  have  thrown  her.  But  she 
mastered  the  animal  with  her  whip  and  voice,  and  called 
out — 

"  Who  is  this  draped  hag  of  the  Mountain  that  stops 
the  path  of  the  Khania  Atene  and  her  dead  lord?  My 
guests,  I  find  you  in  ill  company,  for  it  seems  that  you  are 
conducted  by  an  evil  spirit  to  meet  an  evil  fate.  That 
guide  of  yours  must  surely  be  something  hateful  and  hide 
ous,  for  were  she  a  wholesome  woman  she  would  not  fear 
to  show  her  face." 

Now  the  Shaman  plucked  his  mistress  by  the  sleeve, 
and  the  priest  Oros,  bowing  to  her,  prayed  her  to  be 
silent  and  cease  to  speak  such  ill-omened  words  into  the 
air,  which  might  carry  them  she  knew  not  whither.  But 
some  instinctive  hate  seemed  to  bubble  up  in  Atene,  and 
she  would  not  be  silent,  for  she  addressed  our  guide  using 
the  direct  "  thou,"  a  manner  of  speech  that  we  found  was 
.very  usual  on  the  Mountain  though  rare  upon  the  Plains. 

"  Let  the  air  carry  them  whither  it  will,"  she  cried. 
"  Sorceress,  strip  off  thy  rags,  fit  only  for  a  corpse  too  vile 
to  view.  Show  us  what  thou  art,  thou  flitting  night-owl, 
who  thinkest  to  frighten  me  with  that  livery  of  death, 
which  only  serves  to  hide  the  death  within." 

"  Cease,  I  pray  lady,  cease,"  said  Oros,  stirred  for  once 
out  of  his  imperturbable  calm.  "  She  is  the  Minister,  none 
other,  and  with  her  goes  the  Power." 

"  Then  it  goes  not  against  Atene,  Khania  of  Kaloon," 
she  answered,  "  or  so  I  think.  Power,  forsooth !  Let 


BENEATH    THE   SHADOWING    WINGS  193 

her  show  her  power.  If  she  has  any  it  is  not  her  own, 
but  that  of  the  Witch  of  the  Mountain,  who  feigns  to  be  a 
spirit,  and  by  her  sorceries  has  drawn  away  my  guests  " — 
and  she  pointed  to  us — "  thus  bringing  my  husband  to  his 
death/' 

"  Niece,  be  silent !  "  said  the  old  Shaman,  whose  wrin 
kled  face  was  white  with  terror,  whilst  Oros  held  up  his 
hands  as  though  in  supplication  to  some  unseen  Strength, 
saying — 

"  O  thou  that  hearest  and  seest,  be  merciful,  I  beseech 
thee,  and  forgive  this  woman  her  madness,  lest  the  blood 
of  a  guest  should  stain  the  hands  of  thy  servants,  and  the 
ancient  honour  of  our  worship  be  brought  low  in  the  eyes 
of  men." 

Thus  he  prayed,  but  although  his  hands  were  uplifted, 
it  seemed  to  me  that  his  eyes  were  fixed  upon  our  guide,  as 
ours  were.  While  he  spoke,  I  saw  her  hand  raised,  as  she 
had  raised  it  when  she  slew  or  rather  sentenced  the  witch 
doctor.  Then  she  seemed  to  reflect,  and  stayed  it  in  mid 
air,  so  that  it  pointed  at  the  Khania.  She  did  not  move, 
she  made  no  sound,  only  she  pointed,  and,  the  angry 
words  died  upon  Atene's  lips,  the  fury  left  her  eyes,  and 
the  colour  her  face.  Yes,  she  grew  white  and  silent  as  the 
corpse  upon  the  bier  behind  her.  Then,  cowed  by  that 
invisible  power,  she  struck  her  horse  so  fiercely  that  it 
bounded  by  us  onward  towards  the  village,  at  which  the 
funeral  company  were  to  rest  awhile. 

As  the  Shaman  Simbri  followed  the  Khania,  the  priest 
Oros  caught  his  horse's  bridle  and  said  to  him — 

"  Magician,  we  have  met  before,  for  instance,  when 
your  lady's  father  was  brought  to  his  funeral.  Warn  her, 
then,  you  that  know  something  of  the  truth  and  of  her 
power  to  speak  more  gently  of  the  ruler  of  this  land. 
Say  to  her,  from  me,  that  had  she  not  been  the  ambassa 
dress  of  death,  and,  therefore,  inviolate,  surely  ere  now 
she  would  have  shared  her  husband's  bier.  Farewell,  to 
morrow  we  will  speak  again,"  and,  loosing  the  Shaman's 
bridle,  Oros  passed  on. 


i94  AYES  HA 

Soon  we  had  left  the  melancholy  procession  behind  us 
and,  issuing  from  the  gorge,  turned  up  the  Mountain  slope 
towards  the  edge  of  the  bright  snows  that  lay  not  far 
above.  It  was  as  we  came  out  of  this  darksome  valley, 
where  the  overhanging  pine  trees  almost  eclipsed  the  light, 
that  suddenly  we  missed  our  guide. 

"  Has  she  gone  back  to — to  reason  with  the  Khania  ?  " 
I  asked  of  Oros. 

"  Nay  !  "  he  answered,  with  a  slight  smile,  "  I  think  that 
she  has  gone  forward  to  give  warning  that  the  Hesea's 
guests  draw  near." 

"  Indeed,"  I  answered,  staring  hard  at  the  bare  slope  of 
mountain,  up  which  not  a  mouse  could  have  passed  with 
out  being  seen.  "  I  understand — she  has  gone  forward," 
and  the  matter  dropped.  But  what  I  did  not  understand 
was — how  she  had  gone.  As  the  Mountain  was  honey 
combed  with  caves  and  galleries,  I  suppose,  however,  that 
she  entered  one  of  them. 

All  the  rest  of  that  day  we  marched  upwards,  gradually 
drawing  nearer  to  the  snow-line,  as  we  went  gathering 
what  information  we  could  from  the  priest  Oros.  This 
was  the  sum  of  it — 

From  the  beginning  of  the  world,  as  he  expressed  it, 
that  is,  from  thousands  and  thousands  of  years  ago,  this 
Mountain  had  been  the  home  of  a  peculiar  fire-worship, 
of  which  the  head  heirophant  was  a  woman.  About 
twenty  centuries  before,  however,  the  invading  general 
named  Rassen,  had  made  himself  Khan  of  Kaloon.  Ras- 
sen  established  a  new  priestess  on  the  Mountain,  a  wor 
shipper  of  the  Egyptian  goddess,  Hes,  or  Isis.  This 
priestess  had  introduced  certain  modifications  in  the  an 
cient  doctrines,  superseding  the  cult  of  fire,  pure  and 
simple,  by  a  new  faith,  which,  while  holding  to  some  of 
the  old  ceremonies,  revered  as  its  head  the  Spirit  of  Life 
or  Nature,  of  whom  they  looked  upon  their  priestess  as 
the  earthly  representative. 

Of  this  priestess  Oros  would  only  tell  us  that  she  was 


BENEATH    THE   SHADOWING    WINGS  195 

"  ever  present,"  although  we  gathered  that  when  one 
priestess  died  or  was  "  taken  to  the  fire,"  as  he  put  it,  her 
child,  whether  in  fact  or  by  adoption,  succeeded  her  and 
was  known  by  the  same  names,  those  of  "  Hes  "  or  the 
"  Hesea  "  and  "  Mother."  We  asked  if  we  should  see  this 
Mother,  to  which  he  answered  that  she  manifested  herself 
very  rarely.  As  to  her  appearance  and  attributes  he  would 
say  nothing,  except  that  the  former  changed  from  time  to 
time  and  that  when  she  chose  to  use  it  she  had  "  all 
power." 

The  priests  of  her  College,  he  informed  us,  numbered 
three  hundred,  never  more  nor  less,  and  there  were  also 
three  hundred  priestesses.  Certain  of  those  who  desired 
it  were  allowed  to  marry,  and  from  among  their  children 
were  reared  up  the  new  generation  of  priests  and  priest 
esses.  Thus  they  were  a  people  apart  from  all  others, 
with  distinct  racial  characteristics.  This,  indeed,  was  evi 
dent,  for  our  escort  were  all  exceedingly  like  to  each  other, 
very  handsome  and  refined  in  appearance,  with  dark  eyes, 
clean-cut  features  and  olive-hued  skins ;  such  a  people  as 
might  well  have  descended  from  Easterns  of  high  blood, 
with  a  dash  of  that  of  the  Egyptians  and  Greeks  thrown 
in. 

We  asked  him  whether  the  mighty  looped  pillar  that 
towered  from  the  topmost  cup  of  the  Mountain  was  the 
work  of  men.  He  answered,  No;  the  hand  of  Nature 
had  fashioned  it,  and  that  the  light  shining  through  it 
came  from  the  fires  which  burned  in  the  crater  of  the 
volcano.  The  first  priestess,  having  recognized  in  this 
gigantic  column  the  familiar  Symbol  of  Life  of  the  Egyp 
tian  worship,  established  her  altars  beneath  its  shadow. 

For  the  rest,  the  Mountain  with  its  mighty  slopes  and 
borderlands  was  peopled  by  a  multitude  of  half-savage 
folk,  who  accepted  the  rule  of  the  Hesea,  bringing  her 
tribute  of  all  things  necessary,  such  as  food  and  metals. 
Much  of  the  meat  and  grain  however  the  priests  raised 
themselves  on  sheltered  farms,  and  the  metals  they  worked 


1 96  AYES  HA 

with  their  own  hands.  This  rule,  however,  was  of  a  moral 
nature,  since  for  centuries  the  College  had  sought  no  con 
quests  and  the  Mother  contented  herself  with  punishing 
crime  in  some  such  fashion  as  we  had  seen.  For  the  petty 
wars  between  the  Tribes  and  the  people  of  the  Plain  they 
were  not  responsible,  and  those  chiefs  who  carried  them 
on  were  deposed,  unless  they  had  themselves  been  at 
tacked.  All  the  Tribes,  however,  were  sworn  to  the  de 
fence  of  the  Hesea  and  the  College,  and,  however  much 
they  might  quarrel  amongst  themselves,  if  need  arose, 
were  ready  to  die  for  her  to  the  last  man.  That  war  must 
one  day  break  out  again  between  the  priests  of  the  Moun 
tain  and  the  people  of  Kaloon  was  recognized ;  therefore 
they  endeavoured  to  be  prepared  for  that  great  and  final 
struggle. 

Such  was  the  gist  of  his  history,  which,  as  we  learned 
afterwards,  proved  to  be  true  in  every  particular. 

Towards  sundown  we  came  to  a  vast  cup  extending 
over  many  thousand  acres,  situated  beneath  the  snow-line 
of  the  peak  and  filled  with  rich  soil  washed  down,  I  sup 
pose,  from  above.  So  sheltered  was  the  place  by  its  con 
figuration  and  the  over-hanging  mountain  that,  facing 
south-west  as  it  did,  notwithstanding  its  altitude  it  pro 
duced  corn  and  other  temperate  crops  in  abundance.  Here 
the  College  had  its  farms,  and  very  well  cultivated  these 
seemed  to  be.  This  great  cup,  which  could  not  be  seen 
from  below,  we  entered  through  a  kind  of  natural  gate 
way,  that  might  be  easily  defended  against  a  host. 

There  were  other  peculiarities,  but  it  is  not  necessary 
to  describe  them  further  than  to  say  that  I  think  the  soil 
benefited  by  the  natural  heat  of  the  volcano,  and  that 
when  this  erupted,  as  happened  occasionally,  the  lava 
streams  always  passed  to  the  north  and  south  of  the  cup 
of  land.  Indeed,  it  was  these  lava  streams  that  had  built 
up  the  protecting  cliffs. 

Crossing  the  garden-like  lands,  we  came  to  a  small 


BENEATH    THE   SHADOWING    WINGS  197 

town  beautifully  built  of  lava  rock.  Here  dwelt  the 
priests,  except  those  who  were  on  duty,  no  man  of  the 
Tribes  or  other  stranger  being  allowed  to  set  foot  within 
the  place. 

Following  the  main  street  of  this  town,  we  arrived  at 
the  face  of  the  precipice  beyond,  and  found  ourselves  in 
front  of  a  vast  archway,  closed  with  massive  iron  gates 
fantastically  wrought.  Here,  taking  my  horse  with  them, 
our  escort  left  us  alone  with  Oros.  As  we  drew  near  the 
great  gates  swung  back  upon  their  hinges.  We  passed 
them — with  what  sensations  I  cannot  describe — and 
groped  our  way  down  a  short  corridor  which  ended  in  tall, 
iron-covered  doors.  These  also  rolled  open  at  our  ap 
proach,  and  next  instant  we  staggered  back  amazed  and 
half-blinded  by  the  intense  blaze  of  light  within. 

Imagine,  you  who  read,  the  nave  of  the  vastest  cathedral 
with  which  you  are  acquainted.  Then  double  or  treble 
its  size,  and  you  will  have  some  conception  of  that  temple 
in  which  we  found  ourselves.  Perhaps  in  the  beginning 
it  had  been  a  cave,  who  can  say  ?  but  now  its  sheer  walls, 
its  multitudinous  columns  springing  to  the  arched  roof  far 
above  us,  had  all  been  worked  on  and  fashioned  by  the 
labour  of  men  long  dead;  doubtless  the  old  fire-worship 
pers  of  thousands  of  years  ago. 

You  w7ill  wonder  how  so  great  a  place  was  lighted,  but 
I  think  that  never  would  you  guess.  Thus — by  twisted 
columns  of  living  flame!  I  counted  eighteen  of  them,  but 
thefe'rhay  have  been  others.  They  sprang  from  the  floor 
at  regular  intervals  along  the  lines  of  what  in  a  cathedral 
would  be  the  aisles.  Right  to  the  roof  they  sprang,  of 
even  height  and  girth,  so  fierce  was  the  force  of  the 
natural  gas  that  drove  them,  and  there  were  lost,  I  sup 
pose,  through  chimneys  bored  in  the  thickness  of  the 
rock.  Nor  did  they  give  off  smell  or  smoke,  or  in  that 
great,  cold  place,  any  heat  which  could  be  noticed,  only  an 
intense  white  light  like  that  of  molten  iron,  and  a  sharp 
hissing  noise  as  of  a  million  angry  snakes. 


1 98  AYES  HA 

The  huge  temple  was  utterly  deserted,  and,  save  for  this 
sybilant,  pervading  sound,  utterly  silent ;  an  awesome,  an 
overpowering  place. 

"  Do  these  candles  of  yours  ever  go  out?  "  asked  Leo  of 
Oros,  placing  his  hand  before  his  dazzled  eyes. 

"  How  can  they,"  replied  the  priest,  in  his  smooth, 
matter-of-fact  voice,  "  seeing  that  they  rise  from  the  eter 
nal  fire  which  the  builders  of  this  hall  worshipped  ?  Thus 
they  have  burned  from  the  beginning,  and  thus  they  will 
burn  for  ever,  though,  if  we  wish  it,  we  can  shut  off  their 
light.1  Be  pleased  to  follow  me:  you  will  see  greater 
things." 

So  in  awed  silence  we  followed,  and,  oh !  how  small 
and  miserable  we  three  human  beings  looked  alone  in  that 
vast  temple  illuminated  by  this  lightning  radiance.  We 
reached  the  end  of  it  at  length,  only  to  find  that  to  right 
and  left  ran  transepts  on  a  like  gigantic  scale  and  lit  in  the 
same  amazing  fashion.  Here  Oros  bade  us  halt,  and  we 
waited  a  little  while,  till  presently,  from  either  transept 
arose  a  sound  of  chanting,  and  we  perceived  two  white- 
robed  processions  advancing  towards  us  from  their  depths. 

On  they  came,  very  slowly,  and  we  saw  that  the  pro 
cession  to  the  right  was  a  company  of  priests,  and  that  to 
the  left  a  company  of  priestesses,  a  hundred  or  so  of  them 
in  all. 

Now  the  men  ranged  themselves  in  front  of  us,  while 
the  women  ranged  themselves  behind,  and  at  a  signal 
from  Oros,  all  of  them  still  chanting  some  wild  and  thrill 
ing  hymn,  once  more  we  started  forward,  this  time  along 
a  narrow  gallery  closed  at  the  end  with  double  wooden 
doors.  As  our  procession  reached  these  they  opened,  and 
before  us  lay  the  crowning  wonder  of  this  marvellous 
fane,  a  vast,  ellipse-shaped  apse.  Now  we  understood. 

1  This,  as  I  ascertained  afterwards,  was  done  by  thrusting  a  broad 
stone  of  great  thickness  over  the  apertures  through  which  the  gas  or  fire 
rushed  and  thus  cutting  off  the  air.  These  stones  were  worked  to  and 
fro  by  means  of  pulleys  connected  with  iron  rods. — L.  H.  H. 


BENEATH    THE   SHADOWING    WINGS  199 

The  plan  of  the  temple  was  the  plan  of  the  looped  pillar 
which  stood  upon  the  brow  of  the  Peak,  and  as  we  rightly 
guessed,  its  dimensions  were  the  same. 

At  intervals  around  this  ellipse  the  fiery  columns  flared, 
but  otherwise  the  place  was  empty. 

No,  not  quite,  for  at  the  head  of  the  apse,  almost  be- 
iween  two  of  the  flame  columns,  stood  a  plain,  square 
altar  of  the  size  of  a  small  room,  in  front  of  which,  as  we 
saw  when  we  drew  nearer,  were  hung  curtains  of  woven 
silver  thread.  On  this  altar  was  placed  a  large  statue  of 
silver,  that,  backed  as  it  was  by  the  black  rock,  seemed  to 
concentrate  and  reflect  from  its  burnished  surface  the  in 
tense  light  of  the  two  blazing  pillars. 

It  was  a  lovely  thing,  but  to  describe  it  is  hard  indeed. 
The  figure,  which  was  winged,  represented  a  draped 
woman  of  mature  years,  and  pure  but  gracious  form,  half 
hidden  by  the  forward-bending  wings.  Sheltered  by  these, 
yet  shown  between  them,  appeared  the  image  of  a  male 
child,  clasped  to  its  bearer's  breast  with  her  left  arm, 
while  the  right  was  raised  toward  the  sky.  A  study  of 
Motherhood,  evidently,  but  how  shall  I  write  of  all  that 
was  conveyed  by  those  graven  faces  ? 

To  begin  with  the  child.  It  was  that  of  a  sturdy  boy, 
full  of  health  and  the  joy  of  life.  Yet  he  had  been  sleep 
ing,  and  in  his  sleep  some  terror  had  over-shadowed  him 
with  the  dark  shades  of  death  and  evil.  There  was  fear 
in  the  lines  of  his  sweet  mouth  and  on  the  lips  and  cheeks, 
that  seemed  to  quiver.  He  had  thrown  his  little  arm  about 
his  mother's  neck,  and,  pressing  close  against  her  breast, 
looked  up  to  her  for  safety,  his  right  hand  and  out 
stretched  finger  pointing  downwards  and  behind  him,  as 
though  to  indicate  whence  the  danger  came.  Yet  it  was 
passing,  already  half-forgotten,  for  the  upturned  eyes  ex 
pressed  confidence  renewed,  peace  of  soul  attained. 

And  the  mother.  She  did  not  seem  to  mock  or  chide 
his  fears,  for  her  lovely  face  was  anxious  and  alert.  Yet 
upon  it  breathed  a  very  atmosphere  of  unchanging  tender- 


200  'AYESHA 

ness  and  power  invincible ;  care  for  the  helpless,  strength 
to  shelter  it  from  every  harm.  The  great,  calm  eyes  told 
their  story,  the  parted  lips  were  whispering  some  tale  of 
hope,  sure  and  immortal ;  the  raised  hand  revealed  whence 
that  hope  arose.  All  love  seemed  to  be  concentrated  in 
the  brooding  figure,  so  human,  yet  so  celestial ;  all  heaven 
seemed  to  lie  an  open  path  before  those  quivering  wings. 
And  see,  the  arching  instep,  the  upward-springing  foot, 
suggested  that  thither  those  wings  were  bound,  bearing 
their  God-given  burden  far  from  the  horror  of  the  earth, 
deep  into  the  bosom  of  a  changeless  rest  above. 

The  statue  was  only  that  of  an  affrighted  child  in  its 
mother's  arms;  its  interpretation  made  clear  even  to  the 
dullest  by  the  simple  symbolism  of  some  genius — Human- 
.ity  saved  by  the  Divine. 

While  we  gazed  at  its  enchanting  beauty,  the  priests 
and  priestesses,  filing  away  to  right  and  left,  arranged 
themselves  alternately,  first  a  man  and  then  a  woman, 
within  the  ring  of  the  columns  of  fire  that  burned  around 
the  loop-shaped  shrine.  So  great  was  its  circumference 
that  the  whole  hundred  of  them  must  stand  wide  apart 
one  from  another,  and,  to  our  sight,  resembled  little  lonely 
children  clad  in  gleaming  garments,  while  their  chant  of 
worship  reached  us  only  like  echoes  thrown  from  a  far 
precipice.  In  short,  the  effect  of  this  holy  shrine  and  its 
occupants  was  superb  yet  overwhelming,  at  least  I  know 
that  it  filled  me  with  a  feeling  akin  to  fear. 

Oros  waited  till  the  last  priest  had  reached  his  appointed 
place.  Then  he  turned  and  said,  in  his  gentle,  reverent 
tones — 

"  Draw  nigh,  now,  O  Wanderers  well-beloved,  and  give 
greeting  to  the  Mother,"  and  he  pointed  towards  the 
statue. 

"  Where  is  she  ?  "  asked  Leo,  in  a  whisper,  for  here  we 
scarcely  dared  to  speak  aloud.  "  I  see  no  one." 

"  The  Hesea  dwells  yonder,"  he  answered,  and,  taking 
each  of  us  by  the  hand,  he  led  us  forward  across  the  great 
emptiness  of  the  apse  to  the  altar  at  its  head. 


BENEATH    THE   SHADOWING    WINGS  201 

As  we  drew  near  the  distant  chant  of  the  priests  gath 
ered  in  volume,  assuming  a  glad,  triumphant  note,  and  it 
seemed  to  me — though  this,  perhaps  was  fancy — that  the 
light  from  the  twisted  columns  of  flame  grew  even 
brighter. 

At  length  we  were  there,  and,  Oros,  loosing  our  hands, 
prostrated  himself  thrice  before  the  altar.  Then  he  rose 
again,  and,  falling  behind  us,  stood  in  silence  with  bent 
head  and  folded  fingers.  We  stood  silent  also,  our  hearts 
filled  with  mingled  hope  and  fear  like  a  cup  with  wine. 

Were  our  labours  ended  ?  Had  we  found  her  whom  we 
sought,  or  were  we,  perchance,  but  enmeshed  in  the  web 
of  some  marvellous  mummery  and  about  to  make  ac 
quaintance  with  the  secret  of  another  new  and  mystical 
worship  ?  For  years  and  years  we  had  searched,  enduring 
every  hardness  of  flesh  and  spirit  that  man  can  suffer,  and 
now  we  were  to  learn  whether  we  had  endured  in  vain. 
Yes,  and  Leo  would  learn  if  the  promise  was  to  be  ful 
filled  to  him,  or  whether  she  whom  he  adored  had  become 
but  a  departed  dream  to  be  sought  for  only  beyond  the 
gate  of  Death.  Little  wonder  that  he  trembled  and  turned 
white  in  the  agony  of  that  great  suspense. 

Long,  long  was  the  time.  Hours,  years,  ages,  aeons, 
seemed  to  flow  over  us  as  we  stood  there  before  glittering 
silver  curtains  that  hid  the  front  of  the  black  altar  beneath 
the  mystery  of  the  sphinx-like  face  of  the  glorious  image 
which  was  its  guardian,  clothed  with  that  frozen  smile  of 
eternal  love  and  pity.  All  the  past  went  before  us  as  we 
struggled  in  those  dark  waters  of  our  doubt.  Item  by 
item,  event  by  event,  we  rehearsed  the  story  which  began 
in  the  Caves  of  Kor,  for  our  thoughts,  so  long  attuned, 
were  open  to  each  other  and  flashed  from  soul  to  soul. 

Oh !  now  we  knew,  they  were  open  also  to  another  soul. 
We  could  see  nothing  save  the  Altar  and  the  Effigy,  we 
could  only  hear  the  slow  chant  of  the  priests  and  priest 
esses  and  the  snake-like  hiss  of  the  rushing  fires.  Yet  we 
knew  that  our  hearts  were  as  an  open  book  to  One  who 
watched  beneath  the  Mother's  shadowing  wings. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE   COURT   OF   DEATH 

Now  the  curtains  were  open.  Before  us  appeared  a  cham 
ber  hollowed  from  the  thickness  of  the  altar,  and  in  its 
centre  a  throne,  and  on  the  throne  a  figure  clad  in  waves 
of  billowy  white  flowing  from  the  head  over  the  arms  of 
the  throne  down  to  its  marble  steps.  We  could  see  no 
more  in  the  comparative  darkness  of  that  place,  save  that 
beneath  the  folds  of  the  drapery  the  Oracle  held  in  its 
hand  a  loop-shaped,  jewelled  sceptre. 

Moved  by  some  impulse,  we  did  as  Oros  had  done, 
prostrating  ourselves,  and  there  remained  upon  our  knees. 
At  length  we  heard  a  tinkling  as  of  little  bells,  and,  look 
ing  up,  saw  that  the  sistrum-shaped  sceptre  was  stretched 
towards  us  by  the  draped  arm  which  held  it.  Then  a 
thin,  clear  voice  spoke,  and  I  thought  that  it  trembled  a 
little.  It  spoke  in  Greek,  but  in  a  much  purer  Greek  than 
all  these  people  used. 

"  I  greet  you,  Wanderers,  who  have  journeyed  so  far 
to  visit  this  most  ancient  shrine,  and  although  doubtless  of 
some  other  faith,  are  not  ashamed  to  do  reverence  to  that 
unworthy  one  who  is  for  this  time  its  Oracle  and  the 
guardian  of  its  mysteries.  Rise  now  and  have  no  fear  of 
me ;  for  have  I  not  sent  my  Messenger  and  servants  to 
conduct  you  to  this  Sanctuary  ?  " 

Slowly  we  rose,  and  stood  silent,  not  knowing  what  to 
say. 

"  I  greet  you,  Wanderers,"  the  voice  repeated.  "  Tell 
me  thou  " — and  the  sceptre  pointed  towards  Leo — "  how 
art  thou  named  ?  " 

202 


THE    COURT    OF   DEATH  203 

"  I  am  named  Leo  Vincey,"  he  answered. 

"  Leo  Vincey !  I  like  the  name,  which  to  me  well  befits 
a  man  so  goodly.  And  thott,  the  companion  of — Leo  Vin 
cey?" 

"  I  am  named  Horace  Holly." 

"  So.  Then  tell  me,  Leo  Vincey  and  Horace  Holly, 
what  came  ye  so  far  to  seek  ?  " 

We  looked  at  each  other,  and  I  said — 

"  The  tale  is  long  and  strange.  O — but  by  what  title 
must  we  address  thee  ?  " 

"  By  the  name  which  I  bear  here,  Hes." 

"  O  Hes,"  I  said,  wondering  what  name  she  bore  else 
where. 

"  Yet  I  desire  to  hear  that  tale,"  she  went  on,  and  to  me 
her  voice  sounded  eager.  "  Nay,  not  all  to-night,  for  I 
know  that  you  both  are  weary;  a  little  of  it  only.  In 
sooth,  Strangers,  there  is  a  sameness  in  this  home  of  con 
templations,  and  no  heart  can  feed  only  on  the  past,  if 
such  a  thing  there  be.  Therefore  I  welcome  a  new  history 
from  the  world  without.  Tell  it  me,  thou,  Leo,  as  briefly 
as  thou  wilt,  so  that  thou  tell  the  truth,  for  in  the  Pres 
ence  of  which  I  am  a  Minister,  may  nothing  else  be  ut 
tered." 

"  Priestess,"  he  said,  in  his  curt  fashion,  "  I  obey. 
Many  years  ago  when  I  was  young,  my  friend  and  foster- 
father  and  I,  led  by  records  of  the  past,  travelled  to  a 
wild  land,  and  there  found  a  certain  divine  woman  who 
had  conquered  time." 

"  Then  that  woman  must  have  been  both  aged  and  hide 
ous." 

"  I  said,  Priestess,  that  she  had  conquered  time,  not 
suffered  it,  for  the  gift  of  immortal  youth  was  hers.  Also 
she  was  not  hideous ;  she  was  beauty  itself." 

"  Therefore  stranger,  thou  didst  worship  her  for  her 
beauty's  sake,  as  a  man  does." 

"  I  did  not  worship  her ;  I  loved  her,  which  is  another 
thing.  The  priest  Oros  here  worships  thee,  whom  he 
calls  Mother.  I  loved  that  immortal  woman." 


204  'A  YES  HA 

11  Then  thou  shouldst  love  her  still.  Yet,  not  so,  since 
love  is  very  mortal." 

"  I  love  her  still,"  he  answered,  "  although  she  died." 

"  Why,  how  is  that?    Thou  saidst  she  was  immortal." 

"  Perchance  she  only  seemed  to  die ;  perchance  she 
changed.  At  least  I  lost  her,  and  what  I  lost  I  seek,  and 
have  sought  this  many  a  year." 

"  Why  dost  thou  seek  her  in  my  Mountain,  Leo  Vin- 
cey?" 

"  Because  a  vision  led  me  to  ask  counsel  of  its  Oracle. 
I  am  come  hither  to  learn  tidings  of  my  lost  love,  since 
here  alone  these  may  be  found." 

"  And  thou,  Holly,  didst  thou  also  love  an  immortal 
•woman  whose  immortality,  it  seems,  must  bow  to  death  ?  " 

"  Priestess,"  I  answered,  "  I  am  sworn  to  this  quest,  and 
where  my  foster-son  goes  I  follow.  He  follows  beauty 
that  is  dead " 

"  And  thou  dost  follow  him.  Therefore  both  of  you 
follow  beauty  as  men  have  ever  done,  being  blind  and 
mad." 

"  Nay,"  I  answered,  "  if  they  were  blind,  beauty  would 
be  naught  to  them  who  could  not  see  it,  and  if  they  were 
mad,  they  would  not  know  it  when  it  was  seen.  Knowl 
edge  and  vision  belong  to  the  wise,  O  Hes." 

"  Thou  art  quick  of  wit  and  tongue,  Holly,  as "  and 

she  checked  herself,  then  of  a  sudden,  said,  "  Tell  me,  did 
my  servant  the  Khania  of  Kaloon  entertain  both  of  you 
hospitably  in  her  city,  and  speed  you  on  your  journey 
hither,  as  I  commanded  her  ?  " 

"  We  knew  not  that  she  was  thy  servant,"  I  replied. 
"  Hospitality  we  had  and  to  spare,  but  we  were  sped  from 
her  Court  hitherward  by  the  death-hounds  of  the  Khan, 
her  husband.  Tell  us,  Priestess,  what  thou  knowest  of 
this  journey  of  ours." 

"  A  little,"  she  answered  carelessly.  "  More  than  three 
moons  ago  my  spies  saw  you  upon  the  far  mountains,  and, 
creeping  very  close  to  you  at  night,  heard  you  speak  to- 


THE   COURT   OF  DEATH  205 

gether  of  the  object  of  your  wanderings,  then,  returning 
thence  swiftly,  made  report  to  me.  Thereon  I  bade  the 
Khania  Atene,  and  that  old  magician  her  great-uncle,  who 
is  Guardian  of  the  Gate,  go  down  to  the  ancient  gates  of 
Kaloon  to  receive  you  and  bring  you  hither  with  all  speed. 
Yet  for  men  who  burned  to  learn  the  answer  to  a  riddle, 
you  have  been  long  in  coming/' 

"  We  came  as  fast  as  we  might,  O  Hes,"  said  Leo ; 
"  and  if  thy  spies  could  visit  those  mountains,  where  no 
man  was,  and  find  a  path  down  that  hideous  precipice, 
they  must  have  been  able  also  to  tell  thee  the  reason  of  our 
delay.  Therefore  I  pray,  ask  it  not  of  us." 

"  Nay,  I  will  ask  it  of  Atene  herself,  and  she  shall  surely 
answer  me,  for  she  stands  without,"  replied  the  Hesea 
in  a  cold  voice.  "  Oros,  lead  the  Khania  hither  and  be 
swift." 

The  priest  turned  and  walking  quickly  to  the  wooden 
doors  by  which  we  had  entered  the  shrine,  vanished  there. 

"  Now,"  said  Leo  to  me  nervously  in  the  silence  that 
followed,  and  speaking  in  English,  "  now  I  wish  we  were 
somewhere  else,  for  I  think  that  there  will  be  trouble." 

"  I  don't  think,  I  am  sure,"  I  answered ;  "  but  the  more 
the  better,  for  out  of  trouble  may  come  the  truth,  which 
we  need  sorely."  Then  I  stopped,  reflecting  that  the 
strange  woman  before  us  said  that  her  spies  had  over 
heard  our  talk  upon  the  mountains,  where  we  had  spoken 
nothing  but  English. 

As  it  proved,  I  was  wise,  for  quite  quietly  the  Hesea 
repeated  after  me — 

"  Thou  hast  experience,  Holly,  for  out  of  trouble  comes 
the  truth,  as  out  of  wine." 

Then  she  was  silent,  and,  needless  to  say,  I  did  not 
pursue  the  conversation. 

The  doors  swung  open,  and  through  them  came  a  pro 
cession  clad  in  black,  followed  by  the  Shaman  Simbri, 
who  walked  in  front  of  a  bier,  upon  which  lay  the  body  of 


206  AYESHA 

the  Khan,  carried  by  eight  priests.  Behind  it  was  Atene, 
draped  in  a  black  veil  from  head  to  foot,  and  after  her 
marched  another  company  of  priests.  In  front  of  the 
altar  the  bier  was  set  down  and  the  priests  fell  back, 
leaving  Atene  and  her  uncle  standing  alone  before  the 
corpse. 

"  What  seeks  my  vassal,  the  Khania  of  Kaloon  ?  "  asked 
the  Hesea  in  a  cold  voice. 

Now  Atene  advanced  and  bent  the  knee,  but  with  little 
graciousness. 

"  Ancient  Mother,  Mother  from  of  old,  I  do  reverence 
to  thy  holy  Office,  as  my  forefathers  have  done  for  many 
a  generation,"  and  again  she  curtseyed.  "  Mother,  this 
dead  man  asks  of  thee  that  right  of  sepulchre  in  the  fires 
of  the  holy  Mountain  which  from  the  beginning  has  been 
accorded  to  the  royal  departed  who  went  before  him." 

"  It  has  been  accorded  as  thou  sayest,"  answered  the 
Hesea,  "  by  those  priestesses  who  filled  my  place  before 
me,  nor  shall  it  be  refused  to  thy  dead  lord, — or  to  thee 
Atene — when  thy  time  comes." 

"  I  thank  thee,  O  Hes,  and  I  pray  that  this  decree  may 
be  written  down,  for  the  snows  of  age  have  gathered  on 
thy  venerable  head  and  soon  thou  must  leave  us  for 
awhile.  Therefore  bid  thy  scribes  that  it  be  written  down, 
so  that  the  Hesea  who  rules  after  thee  may  fulfil  it  in  its 
season." 

"  Cease,"  said  the  Hesea,  "  cease  to  pour  out  thy  bitter 
ness  at  that  which  should  command  thy  reverence,  oh ! 
thou  foolish  child,  who  dost  not  know  but  that  to-morrow 
the  fire  shall  claim  the  frail  youth  and  beauty  which  are 
thy  boast.  I  bid  thee  cease,  and  tell  me  how  did  death 
find  this  lord  of  thine  ?  " 

"  Ask  those  wanderers  yonder,  that  were  his  guests,  for 
his  blood  is  on  their  heads  and  cries  for  vengeance  at  thy 
hands." 

"  I  killed  him,"  said  Leo,  "  to  save  my  own  life.  He 
tried  to  hunt  us  down  with  his  dogs,  and  there  are  the 


THE    COURT   OF   DEATH  207 

marks  of  them,"  and  he  pointed  to  my  arm.  "  The  priest 
Oros  knows,  for  he  dressed  the  hurts." 

"  How  did  this  chance  ?  "  asked  the  Hesea  of  Atene. 

"  My  lord  was  mad,"  she  answered  boldly,  "  and  such 
was  his  cruel  sport." 

"  So.  And  was  thy  lord  jealous  also?  Nay,  keep  back 
the  falsehood  I  see  rising  to  thy  lips.  Leo  Vincey,  answer 
thou  me.  Yet,  I  will  not  ask  thee  to  lay  bare  the  secrets 
of  a  woman  who  has  offered  thee  her  love.  Thou,  Holly, 
speak,  and  let  it  be  the  truth." 

"  It  is  this,  O  Hes,"  I  answered.  "  Yonder  lady  and 
her  uncle  the  Shaman  Simbri  saved  us  from  death  in  the 
waters  of  the  river  that  bounds  the  precipices  of  Kaloon. 
Afterwards  we  were  ill,  and  they  treated  us  kindly,  but 
the  Khania  became  enamoured  of  my  foster-son." 

Here  the  figure  of  the  Priestess  stirred  beneath  its 
gauzy  wrappings,  and  the  Voice  asked — 

"  And  did  thy  foster-son  become  enamoured  of  the 
Khania,  as  being  a  man  he  may  well  have  done,  for  with 
out  doubt  she  is  fair  ?  " 

"  He  can  answer  that  question  for  himself,  O  Hes.  All 
I  know  is  that  he  strove  to  escape  from  her,  and  that  in 
the  end  she  gave  him  a  day  to  choose  between  death  and 
marriage  with  her,  when  her  lord  should  be  dead.  So, 
helped  by  the  Khan,  her  husband,  who  was  jealous  of  him, 
we  fled  towards  this  Mountain,  which  we  desired  to  reach. 
Then  the  Khan  set  his  hounds  upon  us,  for  he  was  mad 
and  false-hearted.  We  killed  him  and  came  on  in  spite  of 
this  lady,  his  wife,  and  her  uncle,  who  would  have  pre 
vented  us,  and  were  met  in  a  Place  of  Bones  by  a  certain 
veiled  guide,  who  led  us  up  the  Mountain  and  twice 
saved  us  from  death.  That  is  all  the  story." 

"  Woman,  what  hast  thou  to  say  ?  "  asked  the  Hesea 
in  a  menacing  voice. 

"  But  little,"  Atene  answered,  without  flinching.  "  For 
years  I  have  been  bound  to  a  madman  and  a  brute,  and  if 
my  fancy  wandered  towards  this  man  and  his  fancy  wan- 


208  A  YES  HA 

dered  towards  me — well,  Nature  spoke  to  us,  and  that  is 
all.  Afterwards  it  seems  that  he  grew  afraid  of  the  ven 
geance  of  Rassen,  or  this  Holly,  whom  I  would  that  the 
hounds  had  torn  bone  from  bone,  grew  afraid.  So  they 
strove  to  escape  the  land,  and  perchance  wandered  to  thy 
Mountain.  But  I  weary  of  this  talk,  and  ask  thy  leave  to 
rest  before  to-morrow's  rite." 

"Thou  sayest,  Atene,"  said  the  Hesea,  "that  Nature 
spoke  to  this  man  and  to  thee,  and  that  his  heart  is  thine ; 
but  that,  fearing  thy  lord's  vengeance,  he  fled  from  thee, 
he  who  seems  no  coward.  Tell  me,  then,  is  that  Itress  he 
hides  in  the  satchel  on  his  breast  thy  gage  of  love  to 
him?" 

"  I  know  nothing  of  what  he  hides  in  the  satchel,"  an 
swered  the  Khania  sullenly. 

"  And  yet,  yonder  in  the  Gatehouse  when  he  lay  so  sick 
he  set  the  lock  against  thine  own — ah,  dost  remember 
now?" 

"  So,  O  Hes,  already  he  has  told  thee  all  our  secrets, 
though  they  be  such  as  most  men  hide  within  their 
breasts ;  "  and  she  looked  contemptuously  at  Leo. 

"  I  told  her  nothing  of  the  matter,  Khania,"  Leo  said 
in  an  angry  voice. 

"  Nay,  thou  toldest  me -nothing;  Wanderer  my  watch 
ing  wisdom  told  me.  Oh,  didst  thou  think,  Atene,  that 
thou  couldst  hide  the  truth  from  the  all-seeing  Hesea  of 
the  Mountain?  If  so,  spare  thy  breath,  for  I  know  all, 
and  have  known  it  from  the  first.  I  passed  thy  disobedi 
ence  by ;  of  thy  false  messages  I  took  no  heed.  For  my 
own  purposes  I,  to  whom  time  is  naught,  suffered  even 
that  thou  shouldst  hold  these,  my  guests,  thy  prisoners 
whilst  thou  didst  strive  by  threats  and  force  to  win  a  love 
denied." 

She  paused,  then  went  on  coldly :  "  Woman,  I  tell  thee 
that,  to  complete  thy  sin,  thou  hast  even  dared  to  lie  to  me 
here,  in  my  very  Sanctuary." 

"  If  so,  what  of  it?  "  was  the  bold  answer.    "  Dost  thou 


THE    COURT   OF   DEATH  209 

love  the  man  thyself?  Nay,  it  is  monstrous.  Nature 
would  cry  aloud  at  such  a  shame.  Oh !  tremble  not  with 
rage.  Hes,  I  know  thy  evil  powers,  but  I  know  also  that 
I  am  thy  guest,  and  that  in  this  hallowed  place,  beneath 
yonder  symbol  of  eternal  Love,  thou  may'st  shed  no  blood. 
More,  thou  canst  not  harm  me,  Hes,  who  am  thy  equal." 

"  Atene,"  replied  the  measured  Voice,  "  did  I  desire  it, 
I  could  destroy  thee  where  thou  art.  Yet  thou  art  right, 
I  shall  not  harm  thee,  thou  faithless  servant.  Did  not  my 
writ  bid  thee  through  yonder  searcher  of  the  stars,  thy 
uncle,  to  meet  these  guests  of  mine  and  bring  them 
straight  to  my  shrine  ?  Tell  me,  for  I  seek  to  know,  how 
comes  it  that  thou  didst  disobey  me  ?  " 

"  Have  then  thy  desire,"  answered  Atene  in  a  new  and 
earnest  voice,  devoid  now  of  bitterness  and,  falsehood.  "  I 
disobeyed  because  that  man  is  not  thine,  but  mine,  and  no 
other  woman's;  because  I  love  him  and  have  loved  him 
from  of  old.  Aye,  since  first  our  souls  sprang  into  life  I 
have  loved  him,  as  he  has  loved  me.  My  own  heart  tells 
me  so;  the  magic  of  my  uncle  here  tells  me  so,  though 
how  and  where  and  when  these  things  have  been  I  know 
not.  Therefore  I  come  to  thee,  Mother  of  Mysteries, 
Guardian  of  the  secrets  of  the  past,  to  learn  the  truth.  At 
least  thou  canst  not  lie  at  thine  own  altar,  and  I  charge 
thee,  by  the  dread  name  of  that  Power  to  which  thou  also 
must  render  thy  account,  that  thou  answer  now  and  here. 

"  Who  is  this  man  to  whom  my  being  yearns  ?  What 
has  he  been  to  me  ?  What  has  he  to  do  with  thee  ?  Speak, 
O  Oracle  and  make  the  secret  clear.  Speak,  I  command, 
even  though  afterwards  thou  dost  slay  me — if  thou  canst." 

"  Aye,  speak !  speak !  "  said  Leo,  "  for  know  I  am  in 
sore  suspense.  I  also  am  bewildered  by  memories  and 
rent  with  hopes  and  fears." 

And  I  too  echoed,  "  Speak !  " 

"  Leo  Vincey,"  asked  the  Hesea,  after  she  had  thought 
awhile,  "  whom  dost  thou  believe  me  to  be  ?  " 

"  I  believe,"  he  answered  solemnly,  "  that  thou  art  that 


210  'AYESHA 

Ayesha  at  whose  hands  I  died  of  old  in  the  Caves  of  K6r 
in  Africa.  I  believe  thou  art  that  Ayesha  whom  not 
twenty  years  ago  I  found  and  loved  in  those  same  Caves 
of  Kor,  and  there  saw  perish  miserably,  swearing  that 
thou  wouldst  return  again." 

"  See  now,  how  madness  can  mislead  a  man,"  broke  in 
Atene  triumphantly.  "  '  Not  twenty  years  ago,'  he  said, 
whereas  I  know  well  that  more  than  eighty  summers  have 
gone  by  since  my  grandsire  in  his  youth  saw  this  same 
priestess  sitting  on  the  Mother's  throne." 

"  And  whom  dost  thou  believe  me  to  be,  O  Holly?  "  the 
Priestess  asked,  taking  no  note  of  the  Khania's  words. 

"  What  he  believes  I  believe,"  I  answered.  "  The  dead 
come  back  to  life — sometimes.  Yet  alone  thou  knowest 
the  truth,  and  by  thee  only  it  can  be  revealed." 

"  Aye,"  she  said,  as  though  musing,  "  the  dead  come 
back  to  life — sometimes — and  in  strange  shape,  and,  may-- 
hap,  I  know  the  truth.  To-morrow  when  yonder  body  is 
borne  on  high  for  burial  we  will  speak  of  it  again.  Till 
then  rest  you  all,  and  prepare  to  face  that  fearful  thing — 
the  Truth." 

While  the  Hesea  still  spoke  the  silvery  curtains  swung 
to  their  place  as  mysteriously  as  they  had  opened.  Then, 
as  though  at  some  signal,  the  black-robed  priests  ad 
vanced.  Surrounding  Atene,  they  led  her  from  the  Sanc 
tuary,  accompanied  by  her  uncle  the  Shaman,  who,  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  either  through  fatigue  or  fear,  could 
scarcely  stand  upon  his  feet,  but  stood  blinking  his  dim 
eyes  as  though  the  light  dazed  him.  When  these  were 
gone,  the  priests  and  priestesses,  who  all  this  time  had 
been  ranged  round  the  walls,  far  out  of  hearing  of  our 
talk,  gathered  themselves  into  their  separate  companies, 
and  still  chanting,  departed  also,  leaving  us  alone  with 
Oros  and  the  corpse  of  the  Khan,  which  remained  where 
it  had  been  set  down. 

Now  the  head-priest  Oros  beckoned  to  us  to  follow 
him,  and  we  went  also.  Nor  was  I  sorry  to  leave  the 


THE    COURT    OF   DEATH  211 

place,  for  its  death-like  loneliness — enhanced,  strangely 
enough,  as  it  was,  by  the  flood  of  light  that  filled  it;  a 
loneliness  which  was  concentrated  and  expressed  in  the 
awful  figure  stretched  upon  the  bier,  oppressed  and  over 
came  us,  whose  nerves  were  broken  by  all  that  we  had 
undergone.  Thankful  enough  was  I  when,  having  passed 
the  transepts  and  down  the  length  of  the  vast  nave,  we 
came  to  the  iron  doors,  the  rock  passage,  and  the  outer 
gates,  which,  as  before,  opened  to  let  us  through,  and  so 
at  last  into  the  sweet,  cold  air  of  the  night  at  that  hour 
v/hich  precedes  the  dawn. 

Oros  led  us  to  a  house  well-built  and  furnished,  where 
at  his  bidding,  like  men  in  a  dream,  we  drank  of  some 
liquor  which  he  gave  us.  I  think  that  drink  was  drugged, 
at  least  after  swallowing  it  I  remembered  no  more  till  I 
awoke  to  find  myself  lying  on  a  bed  and  feeling  wonder 
fully  strong  and  well.  This  I  thought  strange,  for  a  lamp 
burning  in  the  room  showed  me  that  it  was  still  dark,  and 
therefore  that  I  could  have  rested  but  a  little  time. 

I  tried  to  sleep  again,  but  was  not  able,  so  fell  to  think 
ing  till  I  grew  weary  of  the  task.  For  here  thoughts 
would  not  help  me ;  nothing  could  help,  except  the  truth, 
"  that  fearful  thing,"  as  the  veiled  Priestess  had  called  it. 

Oh!  what  if  she  should  prove  not  the  Ayesha  whom 
we  desired,  but  some  "  fearful  thing  "  ?  What  were  the 
meaning  of  the  Khania's  hints  and  of  her  boldness,  that 
surely  had  been  inspired  by  the  strength  of  a  hidden 
knowledge  ?  What  if — nay,  it  could  not  be — I  would  rise 
and  dress  my  arm.  Or  I  would  wake  Leo  and  make  him 
dress  it — anything  to  occupy  my  mind  until  the  appointed 
hour,  when  we  must  learn — the  best — or  the  worst. 

I  sat  up  in  the  bed  and  saw  a  figure  advancing  towards 
me.  It  was  Oros,  who  bore  a  lamp  in  his  hand. 

"  You  have  slept  long,  friend  Holly,"  he  said,  "  and  now 
it  is  time  to  be  up  and  doing." 

"  Long?  "  I  answered  testily.  "  How  can  that  be,  when 
it  is  still  dark?" 


212  A  YES  HA 

"  Because,  friend,  the  dark  is  that  of  a  new  night. 
Many  hours  have  gone  by  since  you  lay  down  upon  this 
bed.  Well,  you  were  wise  to  rest  you  while  you  may,  for 
who  knows  when  you  will  sleep  again !  Come,  let  me 
bathe  your  arm." 

"  Tell  me,"  I  broke  in 

"  Nay,  friend,"  he  interrupted  firmly,  "  I  will  tell  you 
nothing,  except  that  soon  you  must  start  to  be  present  at 
the  funeral  of  the  Khan,  and,  perchance,  to  learn  the 
answer  to  your  questions." 

Ten  minutes  later  he  led  me  to  the  eating-chamber  of 
the  house,  where  I  found  Leo  already  dressed,  for  Oros 
had  awakened  him  before  he  came  to  me  and  bidden  him 
to  prepare  himself.  Oros  told  us  here  that  the  Hesea  had 
not  suffered  us  to  be  disturbed  until  the  night  came  again 
since  we  had  much  to  undergo  that  day.  So  presently  we 
started. 

Once  more  we  were  led  through  the  flame-lit  hall  till 
we  came  to  the  loop-shaped  apse.  The  place  was  empty 
now,  even  the  corpse  of  the  Khan  had  gone,  and  no  draped 
Oracle  sat  in  the  altar  shrine,  for  its  silver  curtains  were 
drawn,  and  we  saw  that  it  was  untenanted. 

"  The  Mother  has  departed  to  do  honour  to  the  dead, 
according  to  the  ancient  custom,"  Oros  explained  to  us. 

Then  we  passed  the  altar,  and  behind  the  statue  found 
a  door  in  the  rock  wall  of  the  apse,  and  beyond  the  door 
a  passage,  and  a  hall  as  of  a  house,  for  out  of  it  opened 
other  doors  leading  to  chambers.  These,  our  guide  told 
us,  were  the  dwelling-places  of  the  Hesea  and  her  maid 
ens.  He  added  that  they  ran  to  the  side  of  the  Moun 
tain  and  had  windows  that  opened  on  to  gardens  and 
let  in  the  light  and  air.  In  this  hall  six  priests  were  wait 
ing,  each  of  whom  carried  a  bundle  of  torches  beneath 
his  arm  and  held  in  his  hand  a  lighted  lamp. 

"  Our  road  runs  through  the  dark,"  said  Oros,  "  though 
were  it  day  we  might  climb  the  outer  snows,  but  this  at 
night  it  is  dangerous  to  do." 


THE    COURT   OF   DEATH  213 

Then  taking  torches,  he  lit  them  at  a  lamp  and  gave  one 
to  each  of  us. 

Now  our  climb  began.  Up  endless  sloping  galleries 
we  went,  hewn  with  inconceivable  labour  by  the  primeval 
fire-worshippers  from  the  living  rock  of  the  Mountain. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  they  stretched  for  miles,  and  indeed 
this  was  so,  since,  although  the  slope  was  always  gentle, 
it  took  us  more  than  an  hour  to  climb  them.  At  length 
we  came  to  the  foot  of  a  great  stair. 

"  Rest  awhile  here,  my  lord,"  Oros  said,  bowing  to  Leo 
with  the  reverence  that  he  had  shown  him  from  the  first, 
"  for  this  stair  is  steep  and  long.  Now  we  stand  upon 
the  Mountain's  topmost  lip,  and  are  about  to  climb  that 
tall  looped  column  which  soars  above." 

So  we  sat  down  in  the  vault-like  place  and  let  the  sharp 
draught  of  air  rushing  to  and  from  the  passages  play 
upon  us,  for  we  were  heated  with  journeying  up  those 
close  galleries.  As  we  sat  thus  I  heard  a  roaring  sound 
and  asked  Oros  what  it  might  be.  He  answered  that  we 
were  very  near  to  the  crater  of  the  volcano,  and  that  what 
we  heard  through  the  thickness  of  the  rock  was  the  rush 
ing  of  its  everlasting  fires.  Then  the  ascent  commenced. 

It  was  not  dangerous  though  very  wearisome,  for  there 
were  nearly  six  hundred  of  those  steps.  The  climb  of  the 
passages  had  reminded  me  of  that  of  the  gallery  of  the 
Great  Pyramid  drawn  out  for  whole  furlongs ;  that  of  the 
pillar  was  like  the  ascent  of  a  cathedral  spire,  or  rather 
of  several  spires  piled  one  upon  another. 

Resting  from  time  to  time,  we  dragged  ourselves  up 
the  steep  steps,  each  of  them  quite  a  foot  in  height,  till 
the  pillar  was  climbed  and  only  the  loop  remained.  Up 
it  we  went  also,  Oros  leading  us,  and  glad  was  I  that  the 
stairway  still  ran  within  the  substance  of  the  rock,  for  I 
could  feel  thelieedle's  mighty  eye  quiver  in  the  rush  of  the 
winds  which  swept  about  its  sides. 

At  length  we  saw  light  before  us,  and  in  another  twenty 
steps  emerged  upon  a  platform.  As  Leo,  who  went  in 


214  A  YES  HA 

front  of  me,  walked  from  the  stairway  I  saw  Oros  and 
another  priest  seize  him  by  the  arms,  and  called  to  him 
to  ask  what  they  were  doing. 

"  Nothing,"  he  cried  back,  "  except  that  this  is  a  dizzy 
place  and  they  feared  lest  I  should  fall.  Mind  how  you 
come,  Horace,"  and  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to  me. 

Now  I  was  clear  of  the  tunnel,  and  I  believe  that  had  it 
not  been  for  that  hand  I  should  have  sunk  to  the  rocky 
floor,  for  the  sight  before  me  seemed  to  paralyse  my  brain. 
Nor  was  this  to  be  wondered  at,  for  I  doubt  whether  the 
world  can  show  such  another. 

We  stood  upon  the  very  apex  of  the  loop,  a  flat  space  of 
rock  about  eighty  yards  in  length  by  some  thirty  in 
breadth,  with  the  star-strewn  sky  above  us.  To  the 
south,  twenty  thousand  feet  or  more  below,  stretched  the 
dim  Plain  of  Kaloon,  and  to  the  east  and  west  the  snow- 
clad  shoulders  of  the  peak  and  the  broad  brown  slopes  be 
neath.  To  the  north  was  a  different  sight,  and  one  more 
awesome.  There,  right  under  us  as  it  seemed,  for  the 
pillar  bent  inwards,  lay  the  vast  crater  of  the  volcano,  and 
in  the  centre  of  it  a  wide  lake  of  fire  that  broke  into  bub 
bles  and  flowers  of  sudden  flame  or  spouted,  writhed  and 
twisted  like  an  angry  sea. 

From  the  surface  of  this  lake  rose  smoke  and  gases 
that  took  fire  as  they  floated  upwards,  and,  mingling  to 
gether,  formed  a  gigantic  sheet  of  living  light.  Right 
opposite  to  us  burned  this  sheet  and,  the  flare  of  it  passing 
through  the  -needle-eye  of  the  pillar  under  us,  sped  away 
in  one  dazzling  beam  across  the  country  of  Kaloon,  across 
the  mountains  beyond,  till  it  was  lost  on  the  horizon. 

The  wind  blew  from  south  to  north,  being  sucked  in 
towards  the  hot  crater  of  the  volcano,  and  its  fierce  breath, 
that  screamed  through  the  eye  of  the  pillar  and  against  its 
rugged  surface,  bent  the  long  crest  of  the  sheet  of  flame, 
as  an  ocean  roller  is  bent  over  by  the  gale,  and  tore  from 
it  fragments  of  fire,  that  floated  away  to  leeward  like  the 
blown-out  sails  of  a  burning  ship. 


THE    COURT   OF   DEATH  215 

Had  it  not  been  for  this  strong  and  steady  wind  indeed, 
no  creature  could  have  lived  upon  the  pillar,  for  the  va 
pours  would  have  poisoned  him;  but  its  unceasing  blast 
drove  these  all  away  towards  the  north.  For  the  same 
reason,  in  the  thin  air  of  that  icy  place  the  heat  was  not  too 
great  to  be  endured. 

Appalled  by  that  terrific  spectacle,  which  seemed  more 
appropriate  to  the  terrors  of  the  Pit  than  to  this  earth  of 
ours,  and  fearful  lest  the  blast  should  whirl  me  like  a  dead 
leaf  into  the  glowing  gulf  beneath,  I  fell  on  to  my  sound 
hand  and  my  knees,  shouting  to  Leo  to  do  likewise,  and 
looked  about  me.  Now  I  observed  lines  of  priests 
wrapped  in  great  capes,  kneeling  upon  the  face  of  the 
rock  and  engaged  apparently  in  prayer,  but  of  Hes  the 
Mother,  or  of  Atene,  or  of  the  corpse  of  the  dead  Khan 
I  could  see  nothing. 

Whilst  I  wondered  where  they  might  be,  Oros,  upon 
whose  nerves  this  dread  scene  appeared  to  have  no  effect, 
and  some  of  our  attendant  priests  surrounded  us  and  led 
us  onwards  by  a  path  that  ran  perilously  near  to  the 
rounded  edge  of  the  rock.  A  few  downward  steps  and 
we  found  that  we  were  under  shelter,  for  the  gale  was 
roaring  over  us.  Twenty  more  paces  and  we  came  to  a 
recess  cut,  I  suppose,  by  man  in  the  face  of  the  loop,  in 
such  fashion  that  a  lava  roof  was  left  projecting  half 
across  its  width. 

This  recess,  or  rock  chamber,  which  was  large  enough 
to  shelter  a  great  number  of  people,  we  reached  safely, 
to  discover  that  it  was  already  tenanted.  Seated  in  a 
chair  hewn  from  the  rock  was  the  Hesea,  wearing  a  broid- 
ered,  purple  mantle  above  her  gauzy  wrappings  that  en 
veloped  her  from  head  to  foot.  There,  too,  standing  near 
to  her  were  th~  Khania  Atene  and  her  uncle  the  old  Sha 
man,  who  looked  but  ill  at  ease,  and  lastly,  stretched  upon 
his  funeral  couch,  the  fiery  light  beating  upon  his  stark 
form  and  face,  lay  the  dead  Khan,  Rassen. 

We  advanced  to  the  throne  and  bowed  to  her  who  sat 


216  A  YES  HA 

thereon.  The  Hesea  lifted  her  hooded  head,  which  seemed: 
to  have  been  sunk  upon  her  breast  as  though  she  were 
overcome  by  thought  or  care,  and  addressed  Oros  the 
priest.  For  in  the  shelter  of  those  massive  walls  by  com 
parison  there  was  silence  and  folk  could  hear  each  other 
speak. 

"  So  thou  hast  brought  them  safely,  my  servant,"  she 
said,  "  and  I  am  glad,  for  to  those  that  know  it  not  this 
road  is  fearful.  My  guests,  what  say  you  of  the  burying- 
pit  of  the  Children^  of  Hes  ?  " 

"  Our  faith  tells  us  of  a  hell,  lady,"  answered  Leo,  "  and 
I  think  that  yonder  cauldron  loo'ks  like  its  mouth." 

"  Nay,"  s.he  answered,  "  there  is  no  hell,  save  that  which 
fromTife  to  life  we  fashion  for  ourselves  within  the  circle 
of  this  little  star.  Leo  Vincey,  I  tell  thee  that  hell  is  here, 
aye,  here"  and  she  struck  her  hand  upon  her  breast,  while" 
once  more  her  head  drooped  forward  as  though  bowed 
down  beneath  some  load  of  secret  misery. 

Thus  she  stayed  awhile,  then  lifted  it  and  spoke  again,, 
saying— 

"  Midnight  is  past,  and  much  must  be  done  and  suf 
fered  before  the  dawn.  Aye,  the  darkness  must  be  turned 
to  light,  or  perchance  the  light  to  eternal  darkness." 

"  Royal  woman,"  she  went  on,  addressing  Atene,  "  as 
is  his  right,  thou  hast  brought  thy  dead  lord  hither  for 
burial  in  this  consecrated  place,  where  the  ashes  of  all 
who  went  before  him  have  become  fuel  for  the  holy  fires. 
Oros,  my  priest,  summon  thou  the  Accuser  and  him  who 
makes  defence,  and  let  the  books  be  opened  that  I  may 
pass  my  judgment  on  the  dead,  and  call  his  soul  to  live 
again,  or  pray  that  from  it  the  breath  of  life  may  be  with 
held. 

"  Priest,  I  say  the  Court  of  Death  is  open." 


CHAPTER    XV 

THE   SECOND    ORDEAL 

OROS  bowed  and  left  the  place,  whereon  the  Hesea  signed 
to  us  to  stand  upon  her  right  and  to  Atene  to  stand  upon 
her  left.  Presently  from  either  side  the  hooded  priests 
and  priestesses  stole  into  the  chamber,  and  to  the  number 
of  fifty  or  more  ranged  themselves  along  its  walls.  Then 
came  two  figures  draped  in  black  and  masked,  who  bore 
parchment  books  in  their  hands,  and  placed  themselves 
on  either  side  of  the  corpse,  while  Oros  stood  at  its  feet, 
facing  the  Hesea. 

Now  she  lifted  the  sistrum  that  she  held,  and  in  obedi 
ence  to  the  signal  Oros  said — 

"  Let  the  books  be  opened." 

Thereon  the  masked  Accuser  to  the  right  broke  the 
seal  of  his  book  and  began  to  read  its  pages.  It  was  a 
tale  of  the  sins  of  this  dead  man  entered  as  fully  as 
though  that  officer  were  his  own  conscience  given  life  and 
voice.  In  cold  and  horrible  detail  it  told  of  the  evil  do 
ings  of  his  childhood,  of  his  youth,  and  of  his  riper  years, 
and  thus  massed  together  the  record  was  black  indeed. 

T  listened  amazed,  wondering  what  spy  had  been  set 
upon  the  deeds  of  yonder  man  throughout  his  days ;  think 
ing  also  with  a  shudder  of  how  heavy  would  be  the  tale 
against  any  one  of  us,  if  such  a  spy  should  companion 
him  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave ;  remembering  too  that 
full  surely  this  count  is  kept  by  scribes  even  more  watch 
ful  than  the  ministers  of  Hes. 

At  length  the  long  story  drew  to  its  close.  Lastly  it 
told  of  the  murder  of  that  noble  upon  the  banks  of  the 

217 


218  A  YES  HA 

river;  it  told  of  the  plot  against  our  lives  for  no  just 
cause ;  it  told  of  our  cruel  hunting  with  the  death-hounds, 
and  of  its  end.  Then  the  Accuser  shut  his  book  and  cast 
it  on  the  ground,  saying — 

"  Such  is  the  record,  O  Mother.  Sum  it  up  as  thou 
hast  been  given  wisdom." 

Without  speaking,  the  Hesea  pointed  with  her  sistrum 
to  the  Defender,  who  thereon  broke  the  seal  of  his  book 
and  began  to  read. 

Its  tale  spoke  of  all  the  good  that  the  dead  man  had 
done ;  of  every  noble  word  that  he  had  said,  of  every  kind 
action ;  of  plans  which  he  had  made  for  the  welfare  of 
his  vassals ;  of  temptations  to  ill  that  he  had  resisted ;  of 
the  true  love  that  he  had  borne  to  the  woman  who  became 
his  wife ;  of  the  prayers  which  he  had  made  and  of  the 
offerings  which  he  had  sent  to  the  temple  of  Hes. 

Making  no  mention  of  her  name,  it  told  of  how  that 
wife  of  his  had  hated  him,  of  how  she  and  the  magician, 
who  had  fostered  and  educated  her,  and  was  her  relative 
and  guide,  had  set  other  women  to  lead  him  astray  that 
she  might  be  free  of  him.  Of  how  too  they  had  driven 
him  mad  with  a  poisonous  drink  which  took  away  his 
judgment,  unchained  all  the  evil  in  his  heart,  and  caused 
him  by  its  baneful  influence  to  shrink  unnaturally  from 
her  whose  love  he  still  desired. 

Also  it  set  out  that  the  heaviest  of  his  crimes  were  in 
spired  by  this  wife  of  his,  who  sought  to  befoul  his  name 
in  the  ears  of  the  people  whom  she  led  him  to  oppress, 
and  how  bitter  jealousy  drove  him  to  cruel  acts,  the  last 
and  worst  of  which  caused  him  foully  to  violate  the  law 
of  hospitality,  and  in  attempting  to  bring  about  the  death 
of  blameless  guests  at  their  hands  to  find  his  own. 

Thus  the  Defender  read,  and  having  read,  closed  the 
book  and  threw  it  on  the  ground,  saying — 

"  Such  is  the  record,  O  Mother,  sum  it  up  as  thou  hast 
been  given  wisdom." 

Then  the  Khania,  who  all  this  time  had  stood  cold  and 


THE   SECOND    ORDEAL  219 

impassive,  stepped  forward  to  speak,  and  with  her  her 
uncle,  the  Shaman  Simbri.  But  before  a  word  passed 
Atene's  lips  the  Hesea  raised  her  sceptre  and  forbade 
them,  saying — 

"  Thy  day  of  trial  is  not  yet,  nor  have  we  aught  to  do- 
with  thee.  When  thou  liest  where  he  lies  and  the  books  of 
thy  deeds  are  read  aloud  to  her  who  sits  in  judgment, 
then  let  thine  advocate  make  answer  for  these  things." 

"  So  be  it,"  answered  Atene  haughtily  and  fell  back. 

Now  it  was  the  turn  of  the  high-priest  Oros. 
"  Mother,"  he  said,  "  thou  hast  heard.  Balance  the  writ 
ings,  assess  the  truth,  and  according  to  thy  wisdom,  issue 
thy  commands.  Shall  we  hurl  him  who  was  Rassen  feet 
first  Jnto  the  fiery  gulf,  that  he  may  walk  again  in  the 
paths  of  life,  or  head  first,  in  token  that  he  is  dead  in 
deed?" 

Then  while  all  waited  in  a  hushed  expectancy,  the  great 
Priestess  delivered  her  verdict. 

"  I  hear,  I  balance,  I  assess,  but  judge  I  do  not.  who' 
claim  no  such  power.  Let  the  Spirit  who  sent  him  forth, 
to  whom  he  is  returned  again,  pass  judgment  on  his  spirit. 
This  dead  one  has  sinned  deeply,  yet  has  he  been  more 
deeply  sinned  against.  Nor  against  that  man  can  be  reck 
oned  the  account  of  his  deeds  of  madness.  Cast  him  then 
to  his  grave  feet  first  that  his  name  may  be  whitened  in  the 
ears  of  those  unborn,  and  that  thence  he  may  return 
again  at  the  time  appointed.  It  is  spoken." 

Now  the  Accuser  lifted  the  book  of  his  accusations 
from  the  ground  and*  advancing,  hurled  it  into  the  gulf  in. 
token  that  it  was  blotted  out.  Then  he  turned  and  van 
ished  from  the  chamber;  while  the  Advocate,  taking  up 
his  book,  gave  it  into  the  keeping  of  the  priest  Oros,  that 
it  might  be  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  temple  for 
ever.  This  done,  the  priests  began  a  funeral  chant  and  a 
solemn  invocation  to  the  great  Lord  of  the  Under-world 
that  he  would  receive  this  spirit  and  acquit  it  there  as  here 
it  had  been  acquitted  by  the  Hesea,  his  minister. 


220  'AYES  HA 

Ere  their  dirge  ended  certain  of  the  priests,  advancing 
with  slow  steps,  lifted  the  bier  and  carried  it  to  the  edge 
of  the  gulf ;  then  at  a  sign  from  the  Mother,  hurled  it  feet 
foremost  into  the  fiery  lake  below,  whilst  all  watched  to 
see  how  it  struck  the  flame.  For  this  they  held  to  be  an 
omen,  since  should  the  body  turn  over  in  its  descent  it 
was  taken  as  a  sign  that  the  judgment  of  mortal  men  had 
foeen  refused  in  the  Place  of  the  Immortals.  It  did  not 
turn;  it  rushed  downwards  straight  as  a  plummet  and 
plunged  into  the  fire  hundreds  of  feet  below,  and  there 
for  ever  vanished.  This  indeed  was  not  strange  since,  as 
we  discovered  afterwards,  the  feet  were  weighted. 

In  fact  this  solemn  rite  was  but  a  formula  that,  down 
to  the  exact  words  of  judgment  and  committal,  had  been 
practised  here  from  unknown  antiquity  over  the  bodies 
of  the  priests  and  priestesses  of  the  Mountain,  and  of  cer 
tain  of  the  great  ones  of  the  Plain.  So  it  was  in  ancient 
Egypt,  whence  without  doubt  this  ceremony  of  the  trial 
of  the  dead  was  derived,  and  so  it  continued  to  be  in  the 
land  of  Hes,  for  no  priestess  ever  ventured  to  condemn 
the  soul  of  one  departed. 

The  real  interest  of  the  custom,  apart  from  its  solemnity 
and  awful  surroundings,  centred  in  the  accurate  knowl 
edge  displayed  by  the  masked  Accuser  and  Advocate  of 
the  life-deeds  of  the  deceased.  It  showed  that  although 
the  College  of  Hes  affected  to  be  indifferent  to  the  doings 
and  politics  of  the  people  of  the  Plain  that  they  once  ruled 
and  over  which,  whilst  secretly  awaiting  an  opportunity  of 
re-conquest,  they  still  claimed  a  spiritual  authority,  the  at 
titude  was  assumed  rather  than  real.  Moreover  it  sug 
gested  a  system  of  espionage  so  piercing  and  extraordi 
nary  that  it  was  difficult  to  believe  it  unaided  by  the 
habitual  exercise  of  some  gift  of  clairvoyance. 

The  service,  if  I  may  call  it  so,  was  finished;  the  dead 
man  had  followed  the  record  of  his  sins  into  that  lurid 
sea  of  fire,  and  by  now  was  but  a  handful  of  charred 


THE   SECOND    ORDEAL  221 

dust.  But  if  his  book  had  closed,  ours  remained  open  and 
at  its  strangest  chapter.  We  knew  it,  all  of  tts,  and  waited, 
our  nerves  thrilled,  with  expectancy. 

The  Hesea  sat  brooding  on  her  rocky  throne.  She  also 
knew  that  the  hour  had  come.  Presently  she  sighed,  then 
motioned  with  her  sceptre  and  spoke  a  word  or  two,  dis 
missing  the  priests  and  priestesses,  who  departed  and  were 
seen  no  more.  Two  of  them  remained  however,  Oros  and 
the  head  priestess  who  was  called  Papave,  a  young  woman 
of  a  noble  countenance. 

"  Listen,  my  servants,"  she  said.  "  Great  things  are 
about  to  happen,  which  have  to  do  with  the  coming  of 
yonder  strangers,  for  whom  I  have  waited  these  many 
years  as  is  well  known  to  you.  Nor  can  I  tell  the  issue 
since  to  me,  to  whom  power  is  given  so  freely,  foresight 
of  the  future  is  denied.  It  well  may  happen,  therefore, 
that  this  seat  will  soon  be  empty  and  this  frame  but  food 
for  the  eternal  fires.  Nay,  grieve  not,  grieve  not,  for  I  do 
not  die  and  if  so,  the  spirit  shall  return  again. 

"  Hearken,  Papave.  Thou  art  of  the  blood,  and  to  thee 
alone  have  I  opened  all  the  doors  of  wisdom.  If  I  pass 
now  or  at  any  time,  take  thou  the  ancient  power,  fill  thou 
my  place,  and  in  all  things  do  as  I  have  instructed  thee, 
that  from  this  Mountain  light  may  shine  upon  the  world. 
Further  I  command  thee,  and  thee  also,  Oros  my  priest, 
that  if  I  be  summoned  hence  you  entertain  these  strangers 
hospitably  until  it  is  possible  to  escort  them  from  the 
land,  whether  by  the  road  they  came  or  across  the  north 
ern  hills  and  deserts.  Should  the  Khania  Atene  attempt 
to  detain  them  against  their  will,  then  raise  the  Tribes 
upon  her  in  the  name  of  the  Hesea ;  depose  her  from  her 
seat,  conquer  her  land  and  hold  it.  Hear  and  obey." 

"  Mother,  we  hear  and  we  will  obey,"  answered  Oros 
and  Papave  as"  with  a  single  voice. 

She  waved  her  hand  to  show  that  this  matter  was  fin 
ished  ;  then  after  long  thought  spoke  again,  addressing 
herself  to  the  Khania. 


222  A  YES  HA 

"  Atene,  last  night  thou  didst  ask  me  a  question — why 
them  dost  love  this  man,"  and  she  pointed  to  Leo.  "  To 
that  the  answer  would  be  easy,  for  is  he  not  one  who 
might  well  stir  passion  in  the  breast  of  a  woman  such  as 
thou  art?  But  thou  didst  say  also  that  thine  own  heart 
and  the  wisdom  of  yonder  magician,  thy  uncle,  told  thee 
that  since  thy  soul  first  sprang  to  life  thou  hadst  loved 
him,  and  didst  adjure  me  by  the  Power  to  whom  I  must 
give  my  account  to  draw  the  curtain  from  the  past  and 
let  the  truth  be  known. 

"  Woman,  the  hour  has  come,  and  I  obey  thy  summons 
— not  because  thou  dost  command  but  because  it  is  my 
will.  Of  the  beginning  I  can  tell  thee  nothing,  who  am 
still  human  and  no  goddess.  I  know  not  why  we  three 
are  wrapped  in  this  coil  of  fate ;  I  know  not  the  destinies 
to  which  we  journey  up  the  ladder  of  a  thousand  lives, 
with  grief  and  pain  climbing  the  endless  stair  of  circum 
stance,  or,  if  I  know,  I  may  not  say.  Therefore  I  take  up* 
the  tale  where  my  own  memory  gives  me  light." 

The  Hesea  paused,  and  we  saw  her  frame  shake  as 
though  beneath  some  fearful  inward  effort  of  the  will. 
"  Look  now  behind  you,"  she  cried,  throwing  her  arms 
wide. 

We  turned,  and  at  first  saw  nothing  save  the  great  cur 
tain  of  fire  that  rose  from  the  abyss  of  the  volcano,  where 
of,  as  I  have  told,  the  crest  was  bent  over  by  the 
wind  like  the  crest  of  a  breaking  billow.  But  presently,  as 
we  watched,  in  the  depths  of  this  red  veil,  Nature's  awful 
lamp-flame,  a  picture  began  to  form  as  it  forms  in  the 
seer's  magic  crystal. 

Behold!  a  temple  set  amid  sands  and  washed  by  a 
wide,  palm-bordered  river,  and  across  its  pyloned  court 
processions  of  priests,  who  pass  to  and  fro  with  flaunting 
banners.  The  court  empties;  I  could  see  the  shadow  of 
a  falcon's  wings  that  fled  across  its  sunlit  floor.  A  man 
clad  in  a  priest's  white  robe,  shaven-headed,  and  bare 
footed,  enters  through  the  southern  pylon  gate  and  walks 


THE   SECOND    ORDEAL  223 

slowly  towards  a  painted  granite  shrine,  in  which  sits  the 
image  of  a  woman  crowned  with  the  double  crown  of 
Egypt,  surmounted  by  a  lotus  bloom,  and  holding  in  her 
hand  the  sacred  sistrum.  Now,  as  though  he  heard  some 
sound,  he  halts  and  looks  towards  us,  and  by  the  heaven 
above  me,  his  face  is  the  face  of  Leo  Vincey  in  his  youth, 
the  face  too  of  that  Kallikrates  whose  corpse  we  had  seen 
in  the  Caves  of  Kor ! 

"  Look,  look !  "  gasped  Leo,  catching  me  by  the  arm ; 
but  I  only  nodded  my  head  in  answer. 

The  man  walks  on  again,  and  kneeling  before  the  god 
dess  in  the  shrine,  embraces  her  feet  and  makes  his  prayer 
to  her.  Now  the  gates  roll  open,  and  a  procession  enters, 
headed  by  a  veiled,  noble-looking  woman,  who  bears  of 
ferings,  which  she  sets  on  the  table  before  the  shrine, 
bending  her  knee  to  the  effigy  of  the  goddess.  Her  obla 
tions  made,  she  turns  to  depart,  and  as  she  goes  brushes 
her  hand  against  the  hand  of  the  watching  priest,  who 
hesitates,  then  follows  her. 

When  all  her  company  have  passed  the  gate  she  lingers 
alone  in  the  shadow  of  the  pylon,  whispering  to  the 
priest  and  pointing  to  the  river  and  the  southern  land 
beyond.  He  is  disturbed ;  he  reasons  with  her,  till,  after 
one  swift  glance  round,  she  lets  drop  her  veil,  bending 
towards  him  and — their  lips  meet. 

As  she  flies  her  face  is  turned  towards  us,  and  lo !  it  is 
the  very  face  of  Atene,  and  amid  her  dusky  hair  the  uraeus 
rears  itself  in  jewelled  gold,  the  symbol  of  her  royal  rank. 
She  looks  at  the  shaven  priest ;  she  laughs  as  though  in 
triumph ;  she  points  to  the  westering  sun  and  to  the  river, 
and  is  gone. 

Aye,  and  that  laugh  of  long  ago  is  echoed  by  Atene  at 
our  side,  for  she  also  laughs  in  triumph  and  cries  aloud 
to  the  old  Shaman — 

"  True  diviners  were  my  heart  and  thou !  Behold  how 
I  won  him  in  the  past." 

Then,  like  ice  on  fire  fell  the  cold  voice  of  the  Hesea. 


224  AYES  PI  A 

"  Be  silent,  woman,  and  see  how  thou  didst  lose  him  in 
the  past." 

Lo!  the  scene  changes,  and  on  a  couch  a  lovely  shape 
lies  sleeping.  She  dreams;  she  is  afraid;  and  over  her 
bends  and  whispers  in  her  ear  a  shadowy  form  clad  with 
the  emblems  of  the  goddess  in  the  shrine,  but  now  wear 
ing  upon  her  head  the  vulture  cap.  The  woman  wakes 
from  her  dream  and  looks  round,  and  oh !  the  face  is  the 
face  of  Ayesha  as  it  was  seen  of  us  when  first  she  loosed 
her  veil  in  the  Caves  of  Kor. 

A  sigh  went  up  from  us ;  we  could  not  speak  who  thus 
fearfully  once  more  beheld  her  loveliness. 

Again  she  sleeps,  again  the  awful  form  bends  over  her 
and  whispers.  It  points,  the  distance  opens.  Lo!  on  a 
stormy  sea  a  boat,  and  in  the  boat  two  wrapped  in  each 
other's  arms,  the  priest  and  the  royal  woman,  while  over 
them  like  a  Vengeance,  raw-necked  and  ragged-pinioned, 
hovers  a  following  vulture,  such  a  vulture  as  the  goddess 
wore  for  headdress. 

That  picture  fades  from  its  burning  frame,  leaving  the 
vast  sheet  of  fire  empty  as  the  noonday  sky.  Then  an 
other  forms.  First  a  great,  smooth-walled  cave  carpeted 
with  sand,  a  cave  that  we  remembered  well.  Then  lying 
on  the  sand,  now  no  longer  shaven,  but  golden-haired,  the 
corpse  of  the  priest  staring  upwards  with  his  glazed  eyes, 
his  white  skin  streaked  with  blood,  and  standing  over  him 
two  women.  One  holds  a  javelin  in  her  hand  and  is 
naked  except  for  her  flowing  hair,  and  beautiful,  beautiful 
beyond  imagining.  The  other,  wrapped  in  a  dark  cloak, 
beats  the  air  with  her  hands,  casting  up  her  eyes  as 
though  to  call  the  curse  of  Heaven  upon  her  rival's  head. 
And  those  women  are  she  into  whose  sleeping  ear  the 
shadow  had  whispered,  and  the  royal  Egyptian  who  had 
kissed  her  lover  beneath  the  pylon  gate. 

Slowly  all  the  figures  faded ;  it  was  as  though  the  fire 
ate  them  up,  for  first  they  became  thin  and  white  as  ashes ; 
then  vanished.  The  Hesea,  who  had  been  leaning  for- 


THE   SECOND    ORDEAL  225 

ward,  sank  backwards  in  her  chair,  as  if  weary  with  the 
toil  of  her  own  magic. 

For  a  while  confused  pictures  flitted  rapidly  to  and  fro 
across  the  vast  mirror  of  the  flame,  such  as  might  be  re 
flected  from  an  intelligence  crowded  with  the  memories 
of  over  two  thousand  years  which  it  was  too  exhausted  to 
separate  and  define. 

Wild  scenes,  multitudes  of  people,  great  caves,  and  in 
them  faces,  amongst  others  our  own,  starting  up  distorted 
and  enormous,  to  grow  tiny  in  an  instant  and  depart; 
stark  imaginations  of  Forms  towering  and  divine;  of 
Things  monstrous  and  inhuman ;  armies  marching,  illimit 
able  battle-fields,  and  corpses  rolled  in  blood,  and  hovering 
over  them  the  spirits  of  the  slain. 

These  pictures  died  as  the  others  had  died,  and  the  fire 
was  blank  again. 

Then  the  Hesea  spoke  in  a  voice  very  faint  at  first,  that 
by  slow  degrees  grew  stronger. 

"  Is  thy  question  answered,  O  Atene?  " 

"  I  have  seen  strange  sights,  Mother,  mighty  limnings 
worthy  of  thy  magic,  but  how  know  I  that  they  are  more 
than  vapours  of  thine  own  brain  cast  upon  yonder  fire  to 
deceive  and  mock  us?  "  * 

<;  Listen  then,"  said  the  Hesea,  in  her  weary  voice,  "  to 
the  interpretation  of  the  writing,  and  cease  to  trouble  me 
with  thy  doubts.  Many  an  age  ago,  but  shortly  after  I  be 
gan  to  live  this  last,  long  life  of  mine,  Isis,  the  great  god 
dess  of  Egypt,  had  her  Holy  House  at  Behbit,  near  th'e 
Nile.  It  is  a  ruin  now,  and  Isis  has  departed  from  Egypt, 
though  still  under  the  Power  that  fashioned  it  and  her : 
she  rules  the  world,  for  she  is  Nature's  self.  Of  that 

1  Considered  inj.he  light  of  subsequent  revelations,  vouchsafed  to  us 
by  Ayesha  herself,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  Atene's  shrewd  sur 
mise  was  accurate,  and  that  these  fearful  pictures,  although  founded  on 
events  that  had  happened  in  the  past,  were  in  the  main  "  vapours"  cast 
upon  the  crater  fire;  visions  raised  in  our  minds  to  "deceive  and 
mock  us." — L.  H.  H. 


226  A  YES  HA 

shrine  a  certain  man,  a  Greek,  Kallikrates  by  name,  was 
chief  priest,  chosen  for  her  service  by  the  favour  of  the 
goddess,  vowed  to  her  eternally  and  to  her  alone,  by  the 
dreadful  oath  that  might  not  be  broken  without  punish 
ment  as  eternal. 

"  In  the  flame  thou  sawest  that  priest,  and  here  at  thy 
side  he  stands,  re-born,  to  fulfil  his  destiny  and  ours. 

"  There  lived  also  a  daughter  of  Pharaoh's  house,  one 
Amenartas,  who  cast  eyes  of  love  upon  this  Kallikrates, 
and,  wrapping  him  in  her  spells — for  then  as  now  she 
practised  witcheries, — caused  him  to  break  his  oaths  and 
fly  with  her,  as  thou  sawest  written  in  the  flame.  Thou, 
Atene,  wast  that  Amenartas. 

"  Lastly  there  lived  a  certain  Arabian,  named  Ayesha, 
a  wise  and  lovely  woman,  who,  in  the  emptiness  of  her 
heart,  and  the  sorrow  of  much  knowledge,  had  sought 
refuge  in  the  service  of  the  universal  Mother,  thinking 
there  to  win  the  true  wisdom  which  ever  fled  from  her. 
That  Ayesha,  as  thou  sawest  also,  the  goddess  visited  in  a 
dream,  bidding  her  to  follow  those  faithless  ones,  and 
work  Heaven's  vengeance  on  them,  and  promising  her  in 
reward  victory  over  death  upon  the  earth  and  beauty  such 
as  had  not  been  known  in  woman. 

She  followed  far;  she  awaited  them  where  they  wan 
dered.  Guided  by  a  sage  named  Noot,  one  who  from  the 
beginning  had  been  appointed  to  her  service  and  that  of 
another — thou,  O  Holly,  wast  that  man — she  found  the 
essence  in  which  to  bathe  is  to  outlive  Generations,  Faiths, 
and  Empires,  saying — 

"  '  I  will  slay  these  guilty  ones.  I  will  slay  them  pres 
ently,  as  I  am  commanded/ 

"  Yet  Ayesha  slew  not,  for  now  their  sin  was  her  sin, 
since  she  who  had  never  loved  came  to  desire  this  man. 
She  led  them  to  the  Place  of  Life,  purposing  there  to 
clothe  him  and  herself  with  immortality,  and  let  the 
woman  die.  But  it  was  not  so  fated,  for  then  the  goddess 
smote.  The  life  was  Ayesha's  as  had  been  sworn,  but 


THE   SECOND   ORDEAL  227 

in  its  first  hour,  blinded  with  jealous  rage  because  he 
shrank  from  her  unveiled  glory  to  the  mortal  woman  at 
his  side,  this  Ayesha  brought  him  to  his  death,  and  alas ! 
alas !  left  herself  undying. 

"  Thus  did  the  angry  goddess  work  woe  upon  her  faith 
less  ministers,  giving  to  the  priest  swift  doom,  to  the 
priestess  Ayesha,  long  remorse  and  misery,  and  to  the 
royal  Amenartas  jealousy  more  bitter  than  life  or  death, 
and  the  fate  of  unending  effort  to  win  back  that  love 
which,  defying  Heaven,  she  had  dared  to  steal,  but  to  be 
bereft  thereof  again. 

"  Lo !  now  the  ages  pass,  and,  at  the  time  appointed,  to 
that  undying  Ayesha  who,  whilst  awaiting  his  re-birth, 
from  century  to  century  mourned  his  loss,  and  did  bitter 
penance  for  her  sins,  came  back  the  man,  her  heart's  de 
sire.  Then,  whilst  all  went  well  for  her  and  him,  again 
the  goddess  smote  arid  robbed  her  of  her  reward.  Before 
her  lover's  living  eyes,  sunk  in  utter  shame  and  misery, 
the  beautiful  became  hideous,  the  undying  seemed  to  die. 

"  Yet,  O  Kallikrates,  I  tell  thee  that  she  died  not.  Did 
not  Ayesha  swear  to  thee  yonder  in  the  Caves  of  Kor  that 
she  would  come  again?  for  even  in  that  awful  hour  this 
comfort  kissed  her  soul.  Thereafter,  Leo  Vincey,  who 
art  Killikrates,  did  not  her  spirit  lead  thee  in  thy  sleep 
and  stand  writh  thee  upon  this  very  pinnacle  which  should 
be  thy  beacon  light  to  guide  thee  back  to  her  ?  And  didst 
thou  not  search  these  many  years,  not  knowing  that  she 
companioned  thy  every  step  and  strove  to  guard  thee  in 
every  danger,  till  at  length  in  the  permitted  hour  thou 
earnest  back  to  her  ?  " 

She  paused,  and  looked  towards  Leo,  as  though  await 
ing  his  reply. 

"  Of  the  first  part  of  the  tale,  except  from  the  writing 
on  the  sherd,  I  know  nothing,  Lady,"  he  said ;  "  of  the 
rest  I,  or  rather  we,  know  that  it  is  true.  Yet  I  would 
ask  a  question,  and  I  pray  thee  of  thy  charity  let  thy 


228  A  YES  HA 

answer  be  swift  and  short.  Thou  sayest  that  in  the  per 
mitted  hour  I  came  back  to  Ayesha.  Where  then  is  Aye- 
sha?  Art  thou  Ayesha?  And  if  so  why  is  thy  voice 
changed?  Why  art  thou  less  in  stature?  Oh!  in  the 
name  of  whatever  god  thou  dost  worship,  tell  me  art  thou 
Ayesha?" 

"/  am  Ayesha"  she  answered  solemnly,  "that  very 
Ayesha  to  whom  thou  didst  pledge  thyself  eternally." 

"  She  lies,  she  lies,"  broke  in  Atene.  "  I  tell  thee,  hus 
band — for  such  with  her  own  lips  she  declares  thou  art  to 
me — that  yonder  woman  who  says  that  she  parted  from 
thee  young  and  beautiful,  less  than  twenty  years  ago,  is 
none  other  than  the  aged  priestess  who  for  a  century  at 
least  has  borne  rule  in  these  halls  of  Hes.  Let  her  deny 
it  if  she  can." 

"  Oros,"  said  the  Mother,  "  tell  thou  the  tale  of  the 
death  of  that  priestess  of  whom  the  Khania  speaks." 

The  priest  bowed,  and  in  his  usual  calm  voice,  as 
though  he  were  narrating  some  event  of  every  day,  said 
mechanically,  and  in  a  fashion  that  carried  no  conviction 
to  my  mind — 

"  Eighteen  years  ago,  on  the  fourth  night  of  the  first 
month  of  the  winter  in  the  year  2333  of  the  founding  of 
the  worship  of  Hes  on  this  Mountain,  the  priestess  of 
whom  the  Khania  Atene  speaks,  died  of  old  age  in  my 
presence  in  the  hundred  and  eighth  year  of  her  rule. 
Three  hours  later  we  went  to  lift  her  from  the  throne  on 
which  she  died,  to  prepare  her  corpse  for  burial  in  this 
fire,  according  to  the  ancient  custom.  Lo  !  a  miracle,  for 
she  lived  again,  the  same,  yet  very  changed. 

"  Thinking  this  a  work  of  evil  magic,  the  Priests  and 
Priestesses  of  the  College  rejected  her,  and  would  have 
driven  her  from  the  throne.  Thereon  the  Mountain  blazed 
and  thundered,  the  light  from  the  fiery  pillars  died,  and 
great  terror  fell  upon  the  souls  of  men.  Then  from  the 
deep  darkness  above  the  altar  where  stands  the  statue 
of  the  Mother  of  Men,  the  voice  of  the  living  goddess 
spoke,  saying — • 


THE   SECOND    ORDEAL  229 

" '  Accept  ye  her  whom  I  have  set  to  rule  over  you, 
that  my  judgments  and  my  purposes  may  be  fulfilled/ 

"  The  Voice  ceased,  the  fiery  torches  burnt  again,  and 
we  bowed  the  knee  to  the  new  Hesea,  and  named  her 
Mother  in  the  ears  of  all.  That  is  the  tale  to  which  hun 
dreds  can  bear  witness." 

"  Thou  nearest,  Atene,"  said  the  Hesea.  "  Dost  thou 
still  doubt?" 

"  Aye,"  answered  the  Khania,  "  for  I  hold  that  Oros 
also  lies,  or  if  he  lies  not,  then  he  dreams,  or  perchance 
that  voice  he  heard  was  thine  own.  Now  if  thou  art  this 
undying  woman,  this  Ayesha,  let  proof  be  made  of  it  to 
these  two  men  who  knew  thee  in  the  past.  Tear  away 
those  wrappings  that  guard  thy  loveliness  thus  jealously. 
Let  thy  shape  divine,  thy  beauty  incomparable,  shine  out 
upon  our  dazzled  sight.  Surely  thy  lover  will  not  forget 
such  charms ;  surely  he  will  know  thee,  and  bow  the  knee, 
saying,  '  This  is  my  Immortal,  and  no  other  woman.' 

"  Then,  and  not  till  then,  will  I  believe  that  thou  art 
even  what  thou  declarest  thyself  to  be,  an  evil  spirit,  who 
bought  undying  life  with  murder  and  used  thy  demon 
loveliness  to  bewitch  the  souls  of  men." 

Now  the  Hesea  on  the  throne  seemed  to  be  much  trou 
bled,  for  she  rocked  herself  to  and  fro,  and  wrung  her 
white-draped  hands. 

"  Kallikrates,"  she  said  in  a  voice  that  sounded  like  a 
moan,  "  is  this  thy  will  ?  For  if  it  be,  know  that  I  must 
obey.  Yet  I  pray  thee  command  it  not,  for  the  time  is  not 
yet  come ;  the  promise  unbreakable  is  not  yet  fulfilled.  / 
am  somewhat  changed,  Kallikrates,  since  I  kissed  thee  on 
the  brow  and  named  thee  mine,  yonder  in  the  Caves  of 
Kor." 

Leo  looked  about  him  desperately,  till  his  eyes  fell  upon 
the  mocking^face  of  Atene,  who  cried — 

"  Bid  her  unveil,  my  lord.  I  swear  to  thee  I'll  not  be 
jealous." 

At  that  taunt  he  took  fire. 


230  'AYESHA 

"  Aye,"  he  said,  "  I  bid  her  unveil,  that  I  may  learn  the 
best  or  worst,  who  otherwise  must  die  of  this  suspense. 
Howsoever  changed,  if  she  be  Ayesha  I  shall  know  her, 
and  if  she  ]pe  Ayesha,  I  shall  love  her." 

"  Bold  words,  Kallikrates,"  answered  the  Hesea ;  "  yet 
from  my  very  heart  I  thank  thee  for  them :  those  sweet 
words  of  trust  and  faithfulness  to  thou  knowest  not  what. 
Learn  now  the  truth,  for  I  may  keep  naught  back  from 
thee.  When  I  unveil  it  is  decreed  that  thou  must  make 
thy  choice  for  the  last  time  on  this  earth  between  yonder 
woman,  my  rival  from  the  beginning,  and  that  Ayesha 
to  whom  thou  art  sworn.  Thou  canst  reject  me  if  thou 
wilt,  and  no  ill  shall  come  to  thee,  but  many  a  blessing,  as 
men  reckon  them — power  and  wealth  and  love.  Only  then 
thou  must  tear  my  memory  from  thy  heart,  for  then  I 
leave  thee  to  follow  thy  fate  alone,  till  at  the  last  the 
purpose  of  these  deeds  and  sufferings  is  made  clear. 

"  Be  warned.  No  light  ordeal  lies  before  thee.  Be 
warned.  I  can  promise  thee  naught  save  such  love  as 
woman  never  gave  to  man,  love  that  perchance — I  know 
not — must  yet  remain  unsatisfied  upon  the  earth." 

Then  she  turned  to  me  and  said : 

"  Oh !  thou,  Holly,  thou  true  friend,  thou  guardian  from 
of  old,  thou,  next  to  him  most  beloved  by  me,  to  thy  clear 
and  innocent  spirit  perchance  wisdom  may  be  given  that 
is  denied  to  us,  the  little  children  whom  thine  arms  pro 
tect.  Counsel  thou  him,  my  Holly,  with  the  counsel  thai: 
is  given  thee,  and  I  will  obey  thy  words  and  his,  and, 
whatever  befalls,  will  bless  thee  from  my  soul.  Aye,  and 
should  he  cast  me  off,  then  in  the  Land  beyond  the  lands, 
in  the  Star  appointed,  where  all  earthly  passions  fade, 
together  will  we  dwell  eternally  in  a  friendship  glorious, 
thou  and  I  alone. 

"  For  thou  wilt  not  reject;  thy  steel,  forged  in  the  fur 
nace  of  pure  truth  and  power,  shall  not  lose  its  temper 
in  these  small  fires  of  temptation  and  become  a  rusted 
chain  to  bind  thee  to  another  woman's  breast — until  it 
canker  to  her  heart  and  thine." 


THE   SECOND    ORDEAL  231 

"  Ayesha,  I  thank  thee  for  thy  words,"  I  answered 
simply,  "  and  by  them  and  that  promise  of  thine,  I,  thy 
poor  friend — for  more  I  never  thought  to  be — am  a  thou 
sandfold  repaid  for  many  sufferings.  This  I  will  add,  that 
for  my  part  I  know  that  thou  art  She  whom  we  have 
lost,  since,  whate'er  the  lips  that  speak  them,  those 
thoughts  and  words  are  Ayesha's  and  hers  alone." 

Thus  I  spoke,  not  knowing  what  else  to  say,  for  I  was 
filled  with  a  great  joy,  a  calm  and  ineffable  satisfaction, 
which  broke  thus  feebly  from  my  heart.  For  now  I  knew 
that  I  was  dear  to  Ayesha  as  I  had  always  been  dear  to 
Leo ;  the  closest  of  friends,  from  whom  she  never  would 
be  parted.  What  more  could  I  desire  ?  " 

We  fell  back ;  \ve  spoke  together,  whilst  they  watched  us 
silently.  What  we  said  I  do  not  quite  remember,  but  the 
end  of  it  was  that,  as  the  Hesea  had  done,  Leo  bade  me 
judge  and  choose.  Then  into  my  mind  there  came  a  clear 
command,  from  my  own  conscience  or  otherwhere,  who 
can  say  ?  This  was  the  command,  that  I  should  bid  her  to 
unveil,  and  let  fate  declare  its  purposes. 

"  Decide,"  said  Leo,  "  I  cannot  bear  much  more.  Like 
that  woman,  whoever  she  may  be,  whatever  happens,  I 
will  not  blame  you,  Horace." 

"  Good,"  I  answered,  "  I  have  decided,"  and,  stepping 
forward,  I  said :  "  We  have  taken  counsel,  Hes,  and  it  is 
our  will,  who  would  learn  the  truth  and  be  at  rest,  that 
thou  shouldst  unveil  before  us,  here  and  now." 

"  I  hear  and  obey,"  the  Priestess  answered,  in  a  voice 
like  to  that  of  a  dying  woman,  "  only,  I  beseech  you  both, 
be  pitiful  to  me,  spare  me  your  mockeries;  add  not  the 
coals  of  your  hate  and  scorn  to  the  fires  of  a  soul  in  hell, 
for  whate'er  I  am,  I  became  it  for  thy  sake,  Kallikrates. 
Yet,  yet  I  alst>  am  athirst  for  knowledge;  for  though  I 
know  all  wisdom,  although  I  wield  much  power,  one  thing 
remains  to  me  to  learn — what  is  the  worth  of  the  love  of 
man,  and  if,  indeed,  it  can  live  beyond  the  horrors  of  the 
grave  ?  " 


232  AYES  HA 

Then,  rising  slowly,  the  Hesea  walked,  or  rather  tot 
tered  to  the  unroofed  open  space  in  front  of  the  rock 
chamber,  and  stood  there  quite  near  to  the  brink  of  the 
flaming  gulf  beneath. 

"  Come  hither,  Papave,  and  loose  these  veils,"  she  cried 
in  a  shrill,  thin  voice. 

Papave  •  advanced,  and  with  a  look  of  awe  upon  her 
handsome  face  began  the  task.  She  was  not  a  tall  woman, 
yet  as  she  bent  over  her  I  noted  that  she  seemed  to  tower 
above  her  mistress,  the  Hesea. 

The  outer  veils  fell  revealing  more  within.  These  fell 
also,  and  now  before  us  stood  the  mummy-like  shape,  al 
though  it  seemed  to  be  of  less  stature,  of  that  strange  be 
ing  who  had  met  us  in  the  Place  of  Bones.  So  it  would 
seem  that  our  mysterious  guide  and  the  high  priestess  Hes 
were  the  same. 

Look !  Length  by  length  the  wrappings  sank  from  her. 
Would  they  never  end?  How  small  grew  the  frame 
within  ?  She  was  very  short  now,  unnaturally  short  for  a 
full-grown  woman,  and  oh!  I  grew  sick  at  heart.  The 
last  bandages  uncoiled  themselves  like  shavings  from  a 
stick;  two  wrinkled  hands  appeared,  if  hands  they  could 
be  called.  Then  the  feet — once  I  had  seen  such  on  the 
mummy  of  a  princess  of  Egypt,  and  even  now  by  some 
fantastic  play  of  the  mind,  I  remembered  that  on  her 
coffin  this  princess  was  named  "  The  Beautiful." 

Everything  was  gone  now,  except  a  shift  and  a  last 
inner  veil  about  the  head.  Hes  waved  back  the  priestess 
Papave,  who  fell  half  fainting  to  the  ground  and  lay  there 
covering  her  eyes  with  her  hand.  Then  uttering  some 
thing  like  a  scream  she  gripped  this  veil  in  her  thin  talons, 
tore  it  away,  and  with  a  gesture  of  uttermost  despair, 
turned  and  faced  us. 

Oh !  she  was — nay,  I  will  not  describe  her.  I  knew  her 
at  once,  for  thus  had  I  seen  her  last  before  the  Fire  of 
Life,  and,  strangely  enough,  through  the  mask  of  un 
utterable  age,  through  that  cloak  of  humanity's  last  de- 


THE   SECOND    ORDEAL  233 

cay,  still  shone  some  resemblance  to  the  glorious  and 
superhuman  Ayesha :  the  shape  of  the  face,  the  air  of  de 
fiant  pride  that  for  an  instant  bore  her  up— I  know  not 
what. 

Yes,  there  she  stood,  and  the  fierce  light  of  the  heart 
less  fires  beat  upon  her,  revealing  every  shame. 

There  was  a  dreadful  silence.  I  saw  Leo's  lips  turn 
white  and  his  knees  begin  to  give ;  but  by  some  effort  he 
recovered  himself,  and  stayed  still  and  upright  like  a  dead 
man  held  by  a  wire.  Also  I  saw  Atene — and  this  is  to  her 
credit — turn  her  head  away.  She  had  desired  to  see  her 
rival  humiliated,  but  that  horrible  sight  shocked  her ;  some 
sense  of  their  common  womanhood  for  the  moment 
touched  her  pity.  Only  Simbri,  who,  I  think,  knew  what 
to  expect,  and  Oros  remained  quite  unmoved ;  indeed,  in 
that  ghastly  silence  the  latter  spoke,  and  ever  afterwards  I 
loved  him  for  his  words. 

"  What  of  the  vile  vessel,  rotted  in  the  grave  of  time  ? 
What  of  the  flesh  that  perishes?"  he  said.  "Look 
through  the  ruined  lamp  to  the  eternal  light  which  burns 
within.  Look  through  its  covering  carrion  to  the  in 
extinguishable  soul." 

My  heart  applauded  these  noble  sentiments.  I  wras  of 
one  mind  with  Oros,  but  oh,  Heaven !  I  felt  that  my 
brain  was  going,  and  I  wished  that  it  would  go,  so  that  I 
might  hear  and  see  no  more. 

That  look  which  gathered  on  Ayesha's  mummy  face ! 
At  first  there  had  been  a  little  hope,  but  the  hope  died, 
and  anguish,  anguish,  anguish  took  its  place. 

Something  must  be  done,  this  could  not  endure.  My 
lips  clave  together,  no  word  would  come ;  my  feet  re 
fused  to  move. 

I  began  to  contemplate  the  scenery.  How  wonderful 
were  that  sheet  of  flame,  and  the  ripples  which  ran  up  and 
down  its  height.  How  awesome  its  billowy  crest.  It 
would  be  warm  lying  in  yonder  red  gulf  below  with  tlie 


234  'AYESHA 

dead  Rassen,  but  oh !  I  wished  that  I  shared  his  bed  and 
had  finished  with  these  agonies. 

Thank  Heaven,  Atene  was  speaking.  She  had  stepped 
to  the  side  of  the  naked-headed  Thing,  and  stood  by  it  in 
all  the  pride  of  her  rich  beauty  and  perfect  womanhood. 

"  Leo  Vincey,  or  Kallikrates,"  said  Atene,  "  take  which 
name  thou  wilt ;  thou  thinkest  ill  of  me  perhaps,  but  know 
that  at  least  I  scorn  to  mock  a  rival  in  her  mortal  shame. 
She  told  us  a  wild  tale  but  now,  a  tale  true  or  false,  but 
more  false  than  true,  I  think,  of  how  I  robbed  a  goddess 
of  a  votary,  and  of  how  that  goddess — Ayesha's  self 
perchance — was  avenged  upon  me  for  the  crime  of  yield 
ing  to  the  man  I  loved.  Well,  let  goddesses — if  such  in 
deed  there  be — take  their  way  and  work  their  will  upon 
the  helpless,  and  I,  a  mortal,  will  take  mine  until  the  clutch 
of  doom  closes  round  my  throat  and  chokes  out  life  and 
memory,  and  I  too  am  a  goddess — or  a  clod. 

"  Meanwhile,  thou  man,  I  shame  not  to  say  it  before  all" 
these  witnesses,  I  love  thee,  and  it  seems  that  this — this 
woman  or  goddess — loves  thee  also,  and  she  has  told  us 
that  now,  now  thou  must  choose  between  us  once  and  for 
ever.  She  has  told  us  too  that  if  I  sinned  against  Isis, 
whose  minister  be  it  remembered  she  declares  herself,  her 
self  she  sinned  yet  more.  For  she  would  have  taken  thee 
both  from  a  heavenly  mistress  and  from  an  earthly  bride, 
and  yet  snatch  that  guerdon  of  immortality  which  is  hers 
to-day.  Therefore  if  I  am  evil,  she  is  worse,  nor  does  the 
flame  thajt  burns  within  the  casket  whereof  Oros  spoke 
shine  so  very  pure  and  bright. 

"  Choose  thou  then  Leo  Vincey,  and  let  there  be  an 
end.  I  vaunt  not  myself ;  thou  knowest  what  I  have  been 
and  seest  what  I  am.  Yet  I  can  give  thee  love  and  happi 
ness  and,  mayhap,  children  to  follow  after  thee,  and  with 
them  some  place  and  power.  What  yonder  witch  can 
give  thee  thou  canst  guess.  Tales  of  the  past,  pictures 
on  the  flame,  wise  maxims  and  honeyed  words,  and  after 
thou  art  dead  once  more,  promises  perhaps,  of  joy  to  come 


THE   SECOND    ORDEAL  235 

when  that  terrible  goddess  whom  she  serves  so  closely 
shall  be  appeased.  I  have  spoken.  Yet  I  will  add  a 
word : 

"  O  thou  for  whom,  if  the  Hesea's  tale  be  true,  I  did 
once  lay  down  my  royal  rank  and  dare  the  dangers  of  an 
unsailed  sea;  O  thou  whom  in  ages  gone  I  would  have 
sheltered  with  my  frail  body  from  the  sorceries  of  this 
cold,  self-seeking  witch;  O  thou  whom  but  a  little  while 
ago  at  my  own  life's  risk  I  drew  from  death  in  yonder 
river,  choose,  choose !  " 

To  all  this  speech,  so  moderate  yet  so  cruel,  so  well- 
reasoned  and  yet  so  false,  because  of  its  glosses  and  omis 
sions,  the  huddled  Ayesha  seemed  to  listen  with  a  fierce 
intentness.  Yet  she  made  no  answer,  not  a  single  word, 
not  a  sign  even ;  she  who  had  said  her  say  and  scorned  to 
plead  her  part. 

I  looked  at  Leo's  ashen  face.  He  leaned  towards  Atene, 
drawn  perhaps  by  the  passion  shining  in  her  beauteous 
eyes,  then  of  a  sudden  straightened  himself,  shook  his 
head  and  sighed.  The  colour  flamed  to  his  brow,  and  his 
eyes  grew  almost  happy. 

"  After  all,"  he  said,  thinking  aloud  rather  than  speak 
ing,  "  I  have  to  do  not  with  unknowable  pasts  or  with 
mystic  futures,  but  with  the  things  of  my  own  life.  Aye 
sha  waited  for  me  through  two  thousand  years ;  Atene 
could  marry  a  man  she  hated  for  power's  sake,  and  then 
could  poison  him,  as  perhaps  she  would  poison  me  when 
I  wearied  her.  I  know  not  what  oaths  I  swore  to  Amen- 
artas,  if  such  a  woman  lived.  I  remember  the  oaths  I 
swore  to  Ayesha.  If  I  shrink  from  her  now,  why  then 
my  life  is  a  lie  and  my  belief  a  fraud ;  then  love  will  not 
endure  the  touch  of  age  and  never  can  survive  the  grave. 

"  Nay,  remembering  what  Ayesha  was  I  take  her  as  she 
is,  in  faith  and  hope  of  what  she  shall  be.  At  least  love  is 
immortal  and  if  it  must,  why  let  it  feed  on  memory  alone 
till  death  sets  free  the  soul." 


236  AYESHA 

Then  stepping  to  where  stood  the  dreadful,  shrivelled 
form,  Leo  knelt  down  before  it  and  kissed  her  on  the  brow. 

Yes,  he  kissed  the  trembling  horror  of  that  wrinkled 
head,  and  I  think  it  was  one  of  the  greatest,  bravest  acts 
ever  done  by  man. 

"  Thou  hast  chosen,"  said  Atene  in  a  cold  voice,  "  and 
I  tell  thee,  Leo  Vincey,  that  the  manner  of  thy  choice 
makes  me  mourn  my  loss  the  more.  Take  now  thy — thy 
bride  and  let  me  hence." 

But  Ayesha  still  said  no  word  and  made  no  sign,  till 
presently  she  sank  upon  her  bony  knees  and  began  to 
pray  aloud.  These  were  the  words  of  her  prayer,  as  I 
heard  them,  though  the  exact  Power  to  which  it  was  ad 
dressed  is  not  very  easy  to  determine,  as  I  never  discov 
ered  who  or  what  it  was  that  she  worshipped  in  her 
heart — 

"  O  Thou  minister  of  the  almighty  Will,  thou  sharp 
sword  in  the  hand  of  Doom,  thou  inevitable  Law  that  art 
named  Nature ;  thou  who  wast  crowned  as  Isis  of  the 
Egyptians,  but  art  the  goddess  of  all  climes  and  ages  ;  thou 
that  leadest  the  man  to  the  maid,  and  layest  the  infant  on 
his  mother's  breast,  that  bringest  our  dust  to  its  kindred 
dust,  that  givest  life  to  death,  and  into  the  dark  of  death 
breathest  the  light  of  life  again ;  thou  who  causest  the 
abundant  earth  to  bear,  whose  smile  is  Spring,  whose 
laugh  is  the  ripple  of  the  sea,  whose  noontide  rest  is 
drowsy  Summer,  and  whose  sleep  is  Winter's  night,  hear 
thou  the  supplication  of  thy  chosen  child  and  minister : 

"  Of  old  thou  gavest  me  thine  own  strength  with  death 
less  days,  and  beauty  above  every  daughter  of  this  Star. 
But  I  sinned  against  thee  sore,  and  for  my  sin  I  paid  in 
endless  centuries  of  solitude,  in  the  vileness  that  makes 
me  loathsome  to  my  lover's  eyes,  and  for  its  diadem  of 
perfect  power  sets  upon  my  brow  this  crown  of  naked 
mockery.  Yet  in  thy  breath,  the  swift  essence  that 
brought  me  light,  that  brought  me  gloom,  thou  didst  vow 
to  me  that  I  who  cannot  die  should  once  more  pluck  the 


THE   SECOND    ORDEAL  237 

lost  flower  of  my  immortal  loveliness  from  this  foul  slime 
of  shame. 

"  Therefore,  merciful  Mother  that  bore  me,  to  thee  I 
make  my  prayer.  Oh,  let  his  true  love  atone  my  sin ;  or, 
if  it  may  not  be,  then  give  me  death,  the  last  and  most 
blessed  of  thy  boons !  " 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE    CHANGE 

SHE  ceased,  and  there  was  a  long,  long  silence.  Leo  and 
I  looked  at  each  other  in  dismay.  We  had  hoped  against 
hope  that  this  beautiful  and  piteous  prayer,  addressed  ap 
parently  to  the  great,  dumb  spirit  of  Nature,  would  be 
answered.  That  meant  a  miracle,  but  what  of  it?  The 
prolongation  of  the  life  of  Ayesha  was  a  miracle,  though 
it  is  true  that  some  humble  reptiles  are  said  to  live  as  long 
as  she  had  done. 

The  transference  of  her  spirit  from  the  Caves  of  Kor 
to  this  temple  was  a  miracle,  that  is,  to  our  western  minds, 
though  the  dwellers  in  these  parts  of  Central  Asia  would 
not  hold  it  so.  That  she  should  re-appear  with  the  same 
hideous  body  was  a  miracle.  But  was  it  the  same  body  ? 
Was  it  not  the  body  of  the  last  Hesea  ?  One  very  ancient 
woman  is  much  like  another,  and  eighteen  years  of  the 
working  of  the  soul  or  identity  within  might  well  wear 
away  their  trivial  differences  and  give  to  the  borrowed 
form  some  resemblance  to  that  which  it  had  left. 

At  least  the  figures  on  that  mirror  of  the  flame  were  a 
miracle.  Nay,  why  so?  A  hundred  clairvoyants  in  a 
hundred  cities  can  produce  or  see  their  like  in  water  and 
in  crystal,  the  difference  being  only  one  of  size.  They 
were  but  reflections  of  scenes  familiar  to  the  mind  of 
Ayesha,  or  perhaps  not  so  much  as  that.  Perhaps  they 
were  only  phantasms  called  up  in  our  minds  by  her  mes 
meric  force. 

Nay,  none  of  these  things  were  true  miracles,  since  all, 
however  strange,  might  be  capable  of  explanation.  What 
right  then  had  we  to  expect  a  marvel  now  ? 

238 


THE    CHANGE  239 

Such  thoughts  as  these  rose  in  our  minds  as  the  endless 
minutes  were  born  and  died  and — nothing  happened. 

Yes,  at  last  one  thing  did  happen.  The  light  from  the 
sheet  of  flame  died  gradually  away  as  the  flame  itself  sank 
downwards  into  the  abysses  of  the  pit.  But  about  this  in 
itself  there  was  nothing  wonderful,  for  as  we  had  seen 
with  our  own  eyes  from  afar  this  fire  varied  much,  and 
indeed  it  was  customary  for  it  to  die  down  at  the  ap 
proach  of  dawn,  which  now  drew  very  near. 

Still  that  onward-creeping  darkness  added  to  the  ter 
rors  of  the  scene.  By  the  last  rays  of  the  lurid  light  we 
saw  Ayesha  rise  and  advance  some  few  paces  to  that 
little  tongue  of  rock  at  the  edge  of  the  pit  off  which  the 
body  of  Rassen  had  been  hurled ;  saw  her  standing  on  it 
also,  looking  like  some  black,  misshapen  imp  against  the 
smoky  glow  which  still  rose  from  the  depths  beneath. 

Leo  would  have  gone  forward  to  her,  for  he  believed 
that  she  was  about  to  hurl  herself  to  doom,  which  indeed 
I  thought  was  her  design.  But  the  priest  Oros,  and  the 
priestess  Papave,  obeying,  I  suppose,  some  secret  com 
mand  that  reached  them  I  know  not  how,  sprang  to  him 
and  seizing  his  arms,  held  him  back.  Then  it  became 
quite  dark,  and  through  the  darkness  we  could  hear  Aye 
sha  chanting  a  dirge-like  hymn  in  some  secret,  holy 
tongue  which  was  unknown  to  us. 

A  great  flake  of  fire  floated  through  the  gloom,  rocking 
to  and  fro  like  some  vast  bird  upon  its  pinions.  We  had 
seen  many  such  that  night,  torn  by  the  gale  from  the  crest 
of  the  blazing  curtain  as  I  have  described.  But — but — 

"  Horace,"  whispered  Leo  through  his  chattering  teeth, 
"  that  flame  is  coming  up  against  the  'wind!" 

"  Perhaps  the  wind  has  changed,"  I  answered,  though 
I  knew  well  that  it  had  not;  that  it  blew  stronger  than 
ever  from  the  south. 

Nearer  and  nearer  sailed  the  rocking  flame,  two  enor 
mous  wings  wras  the  shape  of  it,  with  something  dark  be- 


240  AYES  HA 

tween  them.  It  reached  the  little  promontory.  The  wings 
appeared  to  fold  themselves  about  the  dwarfed  figure 
that  stood  thereon — illuminating  it  for  a  moment.  Then 
the  light  went  out  of  them  and  they  vanished — everything 
vanished. 

A  while  passed,  it  may  have  been  one  minute  or  ten, 
when  suddenly  the  priestess  Papave,  in  obedience  to  some 
summons  which  we  could  not  hear,  crept  by  me.  I  knew 
that  it  was  she  because  her  woman's  garments  touched  me 
as  she  went.  Another  space  of  silence  and  of  deep  dark 
ness,  during  which  I  heard  Papave  return,  breathing  in 
short,  sobbing  gasps  like  one  who  is  very  frightened. 

Ah!  I  thought,  Ayesha  has  cast  herself  into  the  pit. 
The  tragedy  is  finished  ! 

Then  it  was  that  the  wondrous  music  came.  Of  course 
it  may  have  been  only  the  sound  of  priests  chanting  be- 
3rond  us,  but  I  do  not  think  so,  since  its  quality  was  quite 
different  to  any  that  I  heard  in  the  temple  before  or  after 
wards  :  to  any  indeed  that  ever  I  heard  upon  the  earth. 

I  cannot  describe  it,  but  it  was  awful  to  listen  to,  yet 
most  entrancing.  From  the  black,  smoke-veiled  pit  where 
the  fire  had  burned  it  welled  and  echoed — now  a  single 
heavenly  voice,  now  a  sweet  chorus,  and  now  an  air-shak 
ing  thunder  as  of  a  hundred  organs  played  to  time. 

That  diverse  and  majestic  harmony  seemed  to  include, 
to  express  every  human  emotion,  and  I  have  often  thought 
since  then  that  in  its  all-embracing  scope  and  range,  this, 
the  song  or  paean  of  her  re-birth  was  symbolical  of  the  in 
finite  variety  of  Ayesha's  spirit.  Yet  like  that  spirit  it  had 
its  master  notes;  power,  passion,  suffering,  mystery  and 
loveliness.  Also  there  could  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  general 
significance  of  the  chant  by  whomsoever  it  was  sung.  It 
was  the  changeful  story  of  a  mighty  soul ;  it  was  worship, 
worship,  worship  of  a  queen  divine ! 

Like  slow  clouds  of  incense  fading  to  the  bannered  roof 
of  some  high  choir,  the  bursts  of  unearthly  melodies  grew 


THE    CHANGE  241 

faint;  in  the  far  distance  of  the  hollow  pit  they  wailed 
themselves  away. 

Look !  from  the  east  a  single  ray  of  upward-springing 
light. 
'"""Toehold  the  dawn,"  said  the  quiet  voice  of  Oros. 

That  ray  pierced  the  heavens  above  our  heads,  a  very 
sword  of  flame.  It  sank  downwards,  swiftly.  Suddenly 
it  fell,  not  upon  us,  for  as  yet  the  rocky  walls  of  our 
chamber  warded  it  away,  but  on  to  the  little  promontory 
at  its  edge. 

Oh !  and  there — a  Glory  covered  with  a  single  garment 
— stood  a  shape  celestial.  It  seemed  to  be  asleep,  since 
the  eyes  were  shut.  Or  was  it  dead,  for  at  first  that  face 
was  a  face  of  death  ?  Look,  the  sunlight  played  upon  her, 
shining  through  the  thin  veil,  the  dark  eyes  opened  like 
the  eyes  of  a  wondering  child ;  the  blood  of  life  flowed  up 
the  ivory  bosom  into  the  pallid  cheeks;  the  raiment  of 
black  and  curling  tresses  wavered  in  the  wind ;  the  head 
of  the  jewelled  snake  that  held  them  sparkled  beneath  her 
breast. 

Was  it  an  illusion,  or  was  this  Ayesha  as  she  had  been 
when  she  entered  the  rolling  flame  in  the  caverns  of  Kor  ? 
Our  knees  gave  way  beneath  us,  and  down,  our  arms 
about  each  other's  necks,  Leo  and  I  sank  till  we  lay  upon 
the  ground.  Then  a  voice  sweeter  than  honey,  softer 
than  the  whisper  of  a  twilight  breeze  among  the  reeds, 
spoke  near  to  us,  and  these  were  the  words  it  said — 

"  Conic  hither  to  me,  Kallikrates,  who  would  pay  thee 
back  that  redeeming  kiss  of  faith  and  love  thou  gavest  me 
but  now! " 

Leo  struggled  to  his  feet.  Like  a  drunken  man  he  stag 
gered  to  where  Ayesha  stood,  then  overcome,  sank  before 
her  on  his  knees. 

"  Arise,"  she  said,  "  it  is  I  who  should  kneel  to  thee," 
and  she  stretched  out  her  hand  to  raise  him,  whispering 
in  his  ear  the  while. 


242  AYES  HA 

Still  he  would  not,  or  could  not  rise,  so  very  slowly  she 
bent  over  him  and  touched  him  with  her  lips  upon  the 
brow.  Next  she  beckoned  to  me.  I  came  and  would 
have  knelt  also,  but  she  suffered  it  not. 

"  Nay,"  she  said,  in  her  rich,  remembered  voice,  "  thou 
art  no  suitor ;  it  shall  not  be.  Of  lovers  and  worshippers 
henceforth  as  before,  I  can  find  a  plenty  if  I  will,  or  even 
if  I  will  it  not.  But  where  shall  I  find  another  friend  like 
to  thee,  O  Holly, whom  thus  I  greet?"  and  leaning  towards 
me,  with  her  lips  she  touched  me  also  on  the  brow — just 
touched  me,  and  no  more. 

Fragrant  was  Ayesha's  breath  as  roses,  the  odour  of 
roses  clung  to  her  lovely  hair;  her  sweet  body  gleamed 
like  some  white  sea-pearl;  a  faint  but  palpable  radiance 
crowned  her  head  ;  no  sculptor  ever  fashioned  such  a  mar 
vel  as  the  arm  with  which  she  held  her  veil  about  her ;  no 
stars  in  heaven  ever  shone  more  purely  bright  than  did  her 
calm,  entranced  eyes. 

Yet  it  is  true,  even  with  her  lips  upon  me,  all  I  felt  for 
her  was  a  love  divine  into  which  no  human  passion  en 
tered.  Once,  I  acknowledge  to  my  shame,  it  was  other 
wise,  but  I  am  an  old  man  now  and  have  done  with  such 
frailties.  Moreover,  had  not  Ayesha  named  me  Guardian, 
Protector,  Friend,  and  sworn  to  me  that  with  her  and  Leo 
I  should  ever  dwell  where  all  earthly  passions  fail.  I  re 
peat  :  what  more  could  I  desire  ? 

Taking  Leo  by  the  hand  Ayesha  returned  with  him 
into  the  shelter  of  the  rock-hewn  chamber  and  when  she 
entered  its  shadows,  shivered  a  little  as  though  with  cold. 
I  rejoiced  at  this  I  remember,  for  it  seemed  to  show  me 
that  she  still  was  human,  divine  as  she  might  appear. 
Here  her  priest  and  priestess  prostrated  themselves  before 
her  new-born  splendour,  but  she  motioned  to  them  to  rise, 
laying  a  hand  upon  the  head  of  each  as  though  in  blessing. 

"  I  am  a'  cold,"  she  said,  "  give  me  my  mantle,"  and 
Papave  threw  the  purple-broidered  garment  upon  her 
shoulders,  whence  now  it  hung  royally,  like  a  coronation 
robe. 


THE    CHANGE  243 

"  Nay,"  she  went  on,  "  it  is  not  this  long-lost  shape  of 
mine,  which  in  his  kiss  my  lord  gave  back  to  me,  that 
shivers  in  the  icy  wind,  it  is  my  spirit's  self  bared  to  the 
bitter  breath  of  Destiny.  O  my  love,  my  love,  offended 
Powers  are  not  easily  appeased,  even  when  they  appear  to 
pardon,  and  though  I  shall  no  more  be  made  a  mockery 
in  thy  sight,  how  long  is  given  us  together  upon  the  world 
I  know  not ;  but  a  little  hour  perchance.  Well,  ere  we  pass 
otherwhere,  we  will  make  it  glorious,  drinking  as  deeply 
of  the  cup  of  joy  as  we  have  drunk  of  those  of  sorrows 
and  of  shame.  This  place  is  hateful  to  me,  for  here  I  have 
suffered  more  than  ever  woman  did  on  earth  or  phantom 
in  the  deepest  hell.  It  is  hateful,  it  is  ill-omened.  I  pray 
that  never  again  may  I  behold  it. 

"  Say,  what  is  it  passes  in  thy  mind,  magician?"  and 
of  a  sudden  she  turned  fiercely  upon  the  Shaman  Simbri 
who  stood  near,  his  arms  crossed  upon  his  breast. 

"  Only,  thou  Beautiful,"  he  answered,  "  a  dim  shadow 
of  things  to  come.  "  I  have  what  thou  dost  lack  with  all 
thy  wisdom,  the  gift  of  foresight,  and  here  I  see  a  dead 
man  lying " 

"  Another  word,"  she  broke  in  with  fury  born  of  some 
dark  fear,  "  and  thou  shalt  be  that  man.  Fool,  put  me  not 
in  mind  that  now  I  have  strength  again  to  rid  me  of  the 
ancient  foes  I  hate,  lest  I  should  use  a  sword  thou  thrust- 
est  to  my  hand,"  and  her  eyes  that  had  been  so  calm  and 
happy,  blazed  upon  him  like  fire. 

The  old  wizard  felt  their  fearsome  might  and  shrank 
from  it  till  the  wall  stayed  him. 

"  Great  One !  now  as  ever  I  salute  thee.  Yes,  now  as 
at  the  first  beginning  whereof  we  know  alone,"  he  stam 
mered.  "  I  had  no  more  to  say ;  the  face  of  that  dead  man 
was  not  revealed  to  me.  I  saw  only  that  some  crowned 
Khan  of  Kaloon  to  be  shall  lie  here,  as  he  whom  the  flame 
has  taken  lay^  an  hour  ago." 

"  Doubtless  many  a  Khan  of  Kaloon  will  lie  here,"  she 
answered  coldly.  "  Fear  not,  Shaman,  my  wrath  is  past, 


244  AYES  HA 

yet  be  wise,  mine  enemy,  and  prophesy  no  more  evil  to  the 
great.  Come,  let  us  hence." 

So,  still  led  by  Leo,  she  passed  from  that  chamber  and 
stood  presently  upor.  the  apex  of  the  soaring  pillar.  The 
sun  was  up  now,  flooding  the  Mountain  flanks,  the  plains 
of  Kaloon  far  beneath  and  the  distant,  misty  peaks  with 
a  sheen  of  gold.  Ayesha  stood  considering  the  mighty 
prospect,  then  addressing  Leo,  she  said — 

"  The  world  is  very  fair ;  I  give  it  all  to  thee." 

Now  Atene  spoke  for  the  first  time. 

"  Dost  thou  mean  Hes — if  thou  art  still  the  Hesea  and 
not  a  demon  arisen  from  the  Pit — that  thou  offerest  my 
territories  to  this  man  as  a  love-gift?  If  so,  I  tell  thee 
that  first  thou  must  conquer  them." 

"  Ungentle  are  thy  words  and  mien,"  answered  Ayesha, 
"  yet  I  forgive  them  both,  for  I  also  can  scorn  to  mock  a 
rival  in  my  hour  of  victory.  When  thou  wast  the  fairer,, 
thou  didst  proffer  him  these  very  lands,  but  say,  who  is 
the  fairer  now?  Look  at  us,  all  of  you,  and  judge,"  and 
she  stood  by  Atene  and  smiled. 

The  Khania  was  a  lovely  woman.  Never  to  my  knowl 
edge  have  I  seen  one  lovelier,  but  oh !  how  coarse  and 
poor  she  showed  beside  the  wild,  ethereal  beauty  of  Aye 
sha  born  again.  For  that  beauty  was  not  altogether  hu 
man,  far  less  so  indeed  than  it  had  been  in  the  Caves  of 
Kor ;  now  it  was  the  beauty  of  a  spirit. 

The  little  light  that  always  shone  upon  Ayesha Js  brow ; 
the  wide-set,  maddening  eyes  which  were  filled  sometimes 
with  the  fire  of  the  stars  and  sometimes  with  the  blue 
darkness  of  the  heavens  wherein  they  float;  the  curved 
lips,  so  wistful  yet  so  proud ;  the  tresses  fine  as  glossy  silk 
that  still  spread  and  rippled  as  though  with  a  separate 
life ;  the  general  air,  not  so  much  of  majesty  as  of  some  se 
cret  power  hard  to  be  restrained,  which  strove  in  that  deli 
cate  body  and  proclaimed  its  presence  to  the  most  care 
less;  that  flame  of  the  soul  within  whereof  Oros  had 
spoken,  shining  now  through  no  "  vile  vessel,"  but  in  a 


THE    CHANGE  245 

vase  of  alabaster  and  of  pearl — none  of  these  things  and 
qualities  were  altogether  human.  I  felt  it  and  was  afraid, 
and  Atene  felt  it  also,  for  she  answered — 

"  I  am  but  a  woman.  What  thou  art,  thou  knowest 
best.  Still  a  taper  cannot  shine  midst  yonder  fires  or  a 
glow-worm  against  a  fallen  star ;  nor  can  my  mortal  flesli 
compare  with  the  glory  thou  hast  earned  from  hell  in  pay 
ment  for  thy  gifts  and  homage  to  the  lord  of  111.  Yet  as 
woman  I  am  thy  equal,  and  as  spirit  I  shall  be  thy  mis 
tress,  when  robbed  of  these  borrowed  beauties  thou,  Aye- 
sha,  standest  naked  and  ashamed  before  the  Judge  of  all 
whom  thou  hast  deserted  and  defied ;  yes,  as  thou  stoodest 
but  now  upon  yonder  brink  above  the  burning  pit  where 
thou  yet  shalt  wander  wailing  thy  lost  love.  For  this  I 
know,  mine  enemy,  tftat  inayjind  spirit  cannot  mate''  and 
Atene  ceased,  choking  in  her  bitteFrage  and  jealousy. 

Now  watching  Ayesha,  I  saw  her  wince  a  little  beneath 
these  evil-omened  words,  saw  also  a  tinge  of  grey  touch 
the  carmine  of  her  lips  and  her  deep  eyes  grow  dark  and 
troubled.  But  in  a  moment  her  fears  had  gone  and  she 
was  asking  in  a  voice  that  rang  clear  as  silver  bells — 

"  Why  ravest  thou,  Atene,  like  some  short-lived  sum 
mer  torrent  against  the  barrier  of  a  seamless  cliff?  Dost 
think,  poor  creature  of  an  hour,  to  sweep  away  the  rock 
of  my  eternal  strength  with  foam  and  bursting  bubbles? 
Have  done  and  listen.  I  do  not  seek  thy  petty  rule,  who,  if 
I  will  it,  can  take  the  empire  of  the  world.  Yet  learn,  thou 
holdest  it  of  my  hand.  More — I  purpose  soon  to  visit 
thee  in  thy  city — choose  thou  if  it  shall  be  in  peace  or  war ! 

"  Therefore,  Khania,  purge  thy  court  and  amend  thy 
laws,  that  when  I  come  I  may  find  contentment  in  the 
land  which  now  it  lacks,  and  confirm  thee  in  thy  govern 
ment.  My  counsel  to  thee  also  is  that  thou  choose  some 
worthy  man  to  husband,  let  him  be  whom  thou  wilt,  if 
only  he  is  just  and  upright  and  one  upon  whom  thou  may- 
est  rest,  needing  wise  guidance  as  thou  dost,  Atene. 

"  Come,  now,  my  guests,  let  us  hence,"  and  she  walked 


246  'A  YES  HA 

past  the  Khania,  stepping  fearlessly  upon  the  very  edge 
of  the  wind-swept,  rounded  peak. 

In  a  second  the  attempt  had  been  made  and  failed,  so 
quickly  indeed  that  it  was  not  until  Leo  and  I  compared 
our  impressions  afterwards  that  we  could  be  sure  of  what 
had  happened.  As  Ayesha  passed  her,  the  maddened 
Khania  drew  a  hidden  dagger  and  struck  with  all  her 
force  at  her  rival's  back.  I  saw  the  knife  vanish  to  the 
hilt  in  her  body,  as  I  thought,  but  this  cannot  have  been 
so  since  it  fell  to  the  ground,  and  she  who  should  have 
been  dead,  took  no  hurt  at  all. 

Feeling  that  she  had  failed,  with  a  movement  like  the 
sudden  lurch  of  a  ship,  Atene  thrust  at  Ayesha,  proposing 
to  hurl  her  to  destruction  in  the  depths  beneath.  Lo !  her 
outstretched  arms  went  past  her  although  Ayesha  never 
seemed  to  stir.  Yes  it  was  Atene  who  would  have  fallen, 
Atene  who  already  fell,  had  not  Ayesha  put  out  her 
hand  and  caught  her  by  the  wrist,  bearing  all  her  back 
ward-swaying  weight  as  easily  as  though  she  were  but  an 
infant,  and  without  effort  drawing  her  to  safety. 

"  Foolish  woman !  "  she  said  in  pitying  tones.  "  Wast 
thou  so  vexed  that  thou  wouldst  strip  thyself  of  the  pleas 
ant  shape  which  heaven  has  given  thee?  Surely  this  is 
madness,  Atene,  for  how  knowest  thou  in  what  likeness 
thou  mightest  be  sent  to  tread  the  earth  again?  As  no 
queen  perhaps,  but  as  a  peasant's  child,  deformed,  un 
sightly;  for  such  reward,  it  is  said,  is  given  to  those  that 
achieve  self-murder.  Or  even,  as  many  think,  shaped 
like  a  beast — a  snake,  a  cat,  a  tigress !  Why,  see,"  and  she 
picked  the  dagger  from  the  ground  and  (cast  it  into  the 
air,  "  that  point  was  poisoned.  Had  it  but  pricked  thee 
now !  "  and  she  smiled  at  her  and  shook  her  head. 

But  Atene  could  bear  no  more  of  this  mockery,  more 
venomed  than  her  own  steel. 

"  Thou  art  not  mortal,"  she  wailed.  "  How  can  I  pre 
vail  against  thee?  To  Heaven  I  leave  thy  punishment," 


"  As  Ayesha  passed  her,  the  maddened  Khania  drew  a  hidden 
dagger  and  struck." 


THE    CHANGE  247 

and  there  upon  the  rocky  peak  Atene  sank  down  and 
wept. 

Leo  stood  nearest  to  her,  and  the  sight  of  this  royal 
woman  in  her  misery  proved  too  much  for  him  to  bear. 
Stepping  to  her  side  he  stooped  and  lifted  her  to  her  feet, 
muttering  some  kind  words.  For  a  moment  she  rested 
on  his  arm,  then  shook  herself  free  of  him  and  took  the 
proffered  hand  of  her  old  uncle  Simbri. 

"  I  see,"  said  Ayesha,  "  that  as  ever,  thou  art  courteous, 
my  lord  Leo,  but  it  is  best  that  her  own  servant  should 
take  charge  of  her,  for — she  may  hide  more  daggers. 
Come,  the  day  grows,  and  surely  we  need  rest." 


CHAPTER   XVII 

THE   BETROTHAL 

TOGETHER  we  descended  the  multitudinous  steps  and 
passed  the  endless,  rock-hewn  passages  till  we  came  to 
the  door  of  the  dwelling  of  the  high-priestess  and  were 
led  through  it  into  a  hall  beyond.  Here  Ayesha  parted 
from  us  saying  that  she  was  outworn,  as  indeed  she 
seemed  to  be  with  an  utter  weariness,  not  of  the  body,  but 
of  the  spirit.  For  her  delicate  form  drooped  like  a  rain- 
laden  lily,  her  eyes  grew  dim  as  those  of  a  person  in  a 
trance,  and  her  voice  came  in  a  soft,  sweet  whisper,  the 
voice  of  one  speaking  in  her  sleep. 

"  Good-bye,"  she  said  to  us.  "  Oros  will  guard  you 
both,  and  lead  you  to  me  at  the  appointed  time.  Rest  you 
well." 

So  she  went  and  the  priest  led  us  into  a  beautiful  apart 
ment  that  opened  on  to  a  sheltered  garden.  So  overcome 
were  we  also  by  all  that  we  had  endured  and  seen,  that  we 
could  scarcely  speak,  much  less  discuss  these  marvellous 
events. 

"  My  brain  swims,"  said  Leo  to  Oros,  "  I  desire  to 
sleep." 

He  bowed  and  conducted  us  to  a  chamber  where  were 
beds,  and  on  these  we  flung  ourselves  down  and  slept, 
dreamlessly,  like  little  children. 

When  we  awoke  it  was  afternoon.  We  rose  and  bathed, 
then  saying  that  we  wished  to  be  alone,  went  together 
into  the  garden  where  even  at  this  altitude,  now,  at  the 
end  of  August,  the  air  was  still  mild  and  pleasant.  Be 
hind  a  rock  by  a  bed  of  campanulas  and  other  mountain 

248 


THE   BETROTHAL  249 

flowers  and  ferns,  was  a  bench  near  to  the  banks  of  a  little 
stream,  on  which  we  seated  ourselves. 

"What  have  you  to  say,  Horace?"  asked  Leo  laying 
his  hand  upon  my  arm. 

"  Say  ?  "  I  answered.  "  That  things  have  come  about 
most  marvellously;  that  we  have  dreamed  aright  and  la 
boured  not  in  vain ;  that  you  are  the  most  fortunate  of  men 
and  should  be  the  most  happy." 

He  looked  at  me  somewhat  strangely,  and  answered — 

"  Yes,  of  course ;  she  is  lovely,  is  she  not — but,"  and 
his  voice  dropped  to  its  lowest  whisper,  "  I  wish,  Horace, 
that  Ayesha  were  a  little  more  human,  even  as  human  as 
she  was  in  the  Caves  of  Kor.  I  don't  think  she  is  quite 
flesh  and  blood,  I  felt  it  when  she  kissed  me — if  you  can 
call  it  a  kiss — for  she  barely  touched  my  hair.  Indeed 
how  can  she  be  who  changed  thus  in  an  hour  ?  Flesh  and 
blood  are  not  born  of  flame,  Horace." 

"  Are  you  sure  that  she  was  so  born  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Like 
the  visions  on  the  fire,  may  not  that  hideous  shape  have 
been  but  an  illusion  of  our  minds?  May  she  not  be  still 
the  same  Ayesha  whom  we  knew  in  Kor,  not  re-born,  but 
wafted  hither  by  some  mysterious  agency  ?  " 

"  Perhaps.  Horace,  we  do  not  know — I  think  that  we 
shall  never  know.  But.  I  admit  that  to  me  the  thing  is 
terrifying.  I  am  drawn  to  her  by  an  infinite  attraction, 
her  eyes  set  my  blood  on  fire,  the  touch  of  her  hand  is  as 
that  of  a  wand  of  madness  laid  upon  my  brain.  And  yet 
between  us  there  is  some  wall,  invisible,  still  present.  Or 
perhaps  it  is  only  fancy.  But,  Horace,  I  think  that  she  is 
afraid  of  Atene.  Why,  in  the  old  days  the  Khania  would 
have  been  dead  and  forgotten  in  an  hour — you  remember 
Ustane?" 

"  Perhaps  she  may  have  grown  more  gentle,  Leo,  who, 
like  ourselves,  has  learned  hard  lessons." 

"  Yes,"  .he  answered,  "  I  hope  that  is  so.  At  any  rate 
she  has  grown  more  divine — only,  Horace,  what  kind  of  a 
husband  shall  I  be  for  that  bright  being,  if  ever  I  get  so 
far?" 


250  A  YES  PI  A 

"  Why  should  you  not  get  so  far?  "  I  asked  angrily,  for 
his  words  jarred  upon  my  tense  nerves. 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  answered,  "  but  on  general  princi 
ples  do  you  think  that  such  fortune  will  be  allowed  to  a 
man?  Also,  what  did  Atene  mean  when  she  said  that 
man  and  spirit  cannot  mate — and — other  things  ?  " 

"  She  meant  that  she  hoped  they  could  not,  I  imagine, 
and,  Leo,  it  is  useless  to  trouble  yourself  with  forebodings 
that  are  more  fitted  to  my  years  than  yours,  and  probably 
are  based  on  nothing.  Be  a  philosopher,  Leo.  You  have 
striven  by  wonderful  ways  such  as  are  unknown  in  the 
history  of  the  world ;  you  have  attained.  Take  the  goods 
the  gods  provide  you — the  glory,  the  love  and  the  power 
— and  let  the  future  look  to  itself." 

Before  he  could  answer  Oros  appeared  from  round  the 
rock,  and,  bowing  with  more  than  his  usual  humility  to 
Leo,  said  that  the  Hesea  desired  our  presence  at  a  service 
in  the  Sanctuary.  Rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of  seeing  her 
again  before  he  had  hoped  to  do  so,  Leo  sprang  up  and 
we  accompanied  him  back  to  our  apartment. 

Here  priests  were  waiting,  who,  somewhat  against  his 
will,  trimmed  his  hair  and  beard,  and  would  have  done  the 
same  for  me  had  I  not  refused  their  offices.  Then  they 
placed  gold-embroidered  sandals  on  our  feet  and  wrapped 
Leo  in  a  magnificent,  white  robe,  also  richly  worked  with 
gold  and  purple ;  a  somewhat  similar  robe  but  of  less  or 
nate  design  being  given  to  me.  Lastly,  a  silver  sceptre 
was  thrust  into  his  hand  and  into  mine  a  plain  wand.  This 
sceptre  was  shaped  like  a  crook,  and  the  sight  of  it  gave 
me  some  clue  to  the  nature  of  the  forthcoming  ceremony. 

"  The  crook  of  Osiris !  "  I  whispered  to  Leo. 

"  Look  here,"  he  answered,  "  I  don't  want  to  imperson 
ate  any  Egyptian  god,  or  to  be  mixed  up  in  their  heathen 
idolatries ;  in  fact,  I  won't." 

"  Better  go*through  with  it,"  I  suggested,  "  probably  it 
is  only  something  symbolical." 

But  Leo,  who,  notwithstanding  the  strange  circum- 


THE   BETROTHAL  251 

stances  connected  with  his  life,  retained  the  religious  prin 
ciples  in  which  I  had  educated  him,  very  strongly  indeed, 
refused  to  move  an  inch  until  the  nature  of  this  service 
was  made  clear  to  him.  Indeed  he  expressed  himself  upon 
the  subject  with  vigour  to  Oros.  At  first  the  priest 
seemed  puzzled  what  to  do,  then  explained  that  the  forth 
coming  ceremony  was  one  of  betrothal. 

On  learning  this  Leo  raised  no  further  objections,  ask 
ing  only  with  some  nervousness  whether  the  Khania 
would  be  present.  Oros  answered  "  No,"  as  she  had  al 
ready  departed  to  Kaloon,  vowing  war  and  vengeance. 

Then  we  were  led  through  long  passages,  till  finally  we 
emerged  into  the  gallery  immediately  in  front  of  the  great 
wooden  doors  of  the  apse.  At  our  approach  these  swung 
open  and  we  entered  it,  Oros  going  first,  then  Leo,  then 
myself,  and  following  us,  the  procession  of  attendant 
priests. 

As  soon  as  our  eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  dazzling 
glare  of  the  flaming  pillars,  we  saw  that  some  great  rite 
was  in  progress  in  the  temple,  for  in  front  of  the  divine 
statue  of  Motherhood,  white-robed  and  arranged  in  ser 
ried  ranks,  stood  the  company  of  the  priests  to  the  num 
ber  of  over  two  hundred,  and  behind  these  the  company 
of  the  priestesses.  Facing  this  congregation  and  a  little 
in  advance  of  the  two  pillars  of  fire  that  flared  on  either 
side  of  the  shrine,  Ayesha  herself  was  seated  in  a  raised 
chair  so  that  she  could  be  seen  of  all,  while  to  her  right 
stood  a  similar  chair  of  which  I  could  guess  the  purpose. 

She  was  unveiled  and  gorgeously  apparelled,  though 
save  for  the  white  beneath,  her  robes  were  those  of  a 
queen  rather  than  of  a  priestess.  About  her  radiant  brow 
ran  a  narrow  band  of  gold,  whence  rose  the  head  of  a 
hooded  asp  cut  out  of  a  single,  crimson  jewel,  beneath 
which  in  endless  profusion  the  glorious  waving  hair  flowed 
down  and  around,  hiding  even  the  folds  of  her  purple 
cloak. 

This    cloak,    opening    in    front,    revealed    an    under- 


252  A  YES  HA 

tunic  of  white  silk  cut  low  upon  her  bosom  and  kept 
in  place  by  a  golden  girdle,  a  double-headed  snake, 
so  like  to  that  which  She  had  worn  in  Kor  that  it  might 
have  been  the  same.  Her  naked  arms  were  bare  of  orna 
ment,  and  in  her  right  hand  she  held  the  jewelled  sistrum 
set  with  its  gems  and  bells. 

No  empress  could  have  looked  more  royal  and  no 
woman  was  ever  half  so  lovely,  for  to  Ayesha's  human 
beauty  was  added  a  spiritual  glory,  her  heritage  alone. 
Seeing  her  we  could  see  naught  else.  The  rhythmic  move 
ment  of  the  bodies  of  the  worshippers,  the  rolling  grand 
eur  of  their  chant  of  welcome  echoed  from  the  mighty 
roof,  the  fearful  torches  of  living  flame;  all  these  things 
were  lost  on  us.  For  there  re-born,  enthroned,  her  arms 
stretched  out  in  gracious  welcome,  sat  that  perfect  and  im 
mortal  woman,  the  appointed  bride  of  one  of  us,  the  friend 
and  lady  of  the  other,  her  divine  presence  breathing  power, 
mystery  and  love. 

On  we  marched  between  the  ranks  of  hierophants,  till 
Oros  and  the  priests  left  us  and  we  stood  alone  face  to 
face  with  Ayesha.  Now  she  lifted  her  sceptre  and  the 
chant  ceased.  In  the  midst  of  the  following  silence,  she 
rose  from  her  seat  and  gliding  down  its  steps,  came  to 
where  Leo  stood  and  touched  him  on  the  forehead  with 
her  sistrum,  crying  in  a  loud,  sweet  voice — 

"  Behold  the  Chosen  of  the  Hesea !  "  whereon  all  that 
audience  echoed  in  a  shout  of  thunder — 

"  Welcome  to  the  Chosen  of  the  Hesea !  " 

Then  while  the  echoes  of  that  glad  cry  yet  rang  round 
the  rocky  walls,  Ayesha  motioned  to  me  to  stand  at  her 
side,  and  taking  Leo  by  the  hand  drew  him  towards  her, 
so  that  now  he  faced  the  white-robed  company.  Holding 
him  thus  she  began  to  speak  in  clear  and  silvery  tones. 

"  Priests  and  priestesses  of  Hes,  servants  with  her  of 
the  Mother  of  the  world,  hear  me.  Now  for  the  first 
time  I  appear  among  you  as  I  am,  you  who  heretofore 
have  looked  but  on  a  hooded  shape,  not  knowing  its  form 


THE   BETROTHAL  253 

or  fashion.  Learn  now  the  reason  that  I  draw  my  veil. 
Ye  see  this  man,  whom  ye  believed  a  stranger  that  with 
his  companion  had  wandered  to  our  shrine.  I  tell  you 
that  he  is  no  stranger;  that  of  old,  in  lives  forgotten,  he 
was  my  lord  who  now  conies  to  seek  his  love  again.  Say, 
is  it  not  so,  Kallikrates  ?  " 

"  It  is  so,"  answered  Leo. 

"  Priests  and  priestesses  of  Hes,  as  ye  know,  from  the 
,  beginning  it  has  been  the  right  and  custom  of  her  who 
holds  my  place  to  choose  one  to  be  her  lord.  Is  it  not 
so?" 

"  It  is  so,  O  Hes,"  they  answered. 

She  paused  a  while,  then  with  a  gesture  of  infinite 
sweetness  turned  to  Leo,  bent  towards  him  thrice  and 
slowly  sank  upon  her  knee. 

"  Say  thou,"  Ayesha  said,  looking  up  at  him  with  her 
wondrous  eyes,  "  say  before  these  here  gathered,  and  all 
those  witnesses  whom  thou  canst  not  see,  dost  thou  again 
accept  me  as  thy  affianced  bride  ?  " 

"  Aye,  Lady,"  he  answered,  in  a  deep  but  shaken  voice, 
"  now  and  for  ever." 

Then  while  all  watched,  in  the  midst  of  a  great  silence, 
Ayesha  rose,  cast  down  her  sistrum  sceptre  that  rang 
upon  the  rocky  floor,  and  stretched  out  her  arms  towards 
him. 

Leo  also  bent  towards  her,  and  would  have  kissed  her 
upon  the  lips.  But  I  who  watched,  saw  his  face  grow 
white  as  it  drew  near  to  hers.  While  the  radiance  crept 
from  her  brow  to  his,  turning  his  bright  hair  to  gold,  I 
saw  also  that  this  strong  man  trembled  like  a  reed  and 
seemed  as  though  he  were  about  to  fall. 

I  think  that  Ayesha  noted  it  too,  for  ere  ever  their  lips 
met,  she  thrust  -iiim  from  her  and  again  that  grey  mist  of 
fear  gathered  on  her  face. 

In  an  instant  it  passed.  She  had  slipped  from  him 
and  with  her  hand  held  his  hand  as  though  to  support 
him.  Thus  they  stood  till  his  feet  grew  firm  and  his 
strength  returned. 


254  'AYESHA 

Oros  restored  the  sceptre  to  her,  and  lifting  it  she  said — 

"  O  love  and  lord,  take  thou  the  place  prepared  for 
thee,  where  thou  shalt  sit  for  ever  at  my  side,  for  with 
myself  I  give  thee  more  than  thou  canst  know  or  than  I 
will  tell  thee  now.  Mount  thy  throne,  O  Affianced  of  Hes, 
and  receive  the  worship  of  thy  priests." 

"  Nay/'  he  answered  with  a  start  as  that  word  fell  upon 
his  ears.  "  Here  and  now  I  say  it  once  and  for  all.  I  am 
but  a  man  who  know  nothing  of  strange  gods,  their  attri 
butes  and  ceremonials.  None  shall  bow  the  knee  to  me 
and  on  earth,  Ayesha,  I  bow  mine  to  thee  alone." 

Now  at  this  bold  speech  some  of  those  who  heard  it 
looked  astonished  and  whispered  to  each  other,  while  a 
voice  called — 

"  Beware,  thou  Chosen,  of  the  anger  of  the  Mother !  " 

Again  for  a  moment  Ayesha  looked  afraid,  then  with  a 
little  laugh,  swept  the  thing  aside,  saying — 

"  Surely  with  that  I  should  be  content.  For  me,  O 
Love,  thy  adoration  for  thee  the  betrothal  song,  no  more." 

So  having  no  choice  Leo  mounted  the  throne,  where 
notwithstanding  his  splendid  presence,  enhanced  as  it  was 
by  those  glittering  robes,  he  looked  ill  enough  at  ease,  as 
indeed  must  any  man  of  his  faith  and  race.  Happily  how 
ever,  if  some  act  of  semi-idolatrous  homage  had  been 
proposed,  Ayesha  found  a  means  to  prevent  its  celebra 
tion,  and  soon  all  such  matters  were  forgotten  both  by  the 
singers  who  sang,  and  us  who  listened  to  the  majestic 
chant  that  followed. 

Of  its  words  unfortunately  we  were  able  to  understand 
but  little,  both  because  of  the  volume  of  sound  and  of  the 
secret,  priestly  language  in  which  it  was  given,  though  its 
general  purport  could  not  be  mistaken. 

The  female  voices  began  it,  singing  very  low,  and  con 
veying  a  strange  impression  of  time  and  distance.  Now 
followed  bursts  of  gladness  alternating  with  melancholy 
chords  suggesting  sighs  and  tears  and  sorrows  long  en 
dured,  and  at  the  end  a  joyous,  triumphant  paean  thrown 


THE   BETROTHAL  255 

to  and  fro  between  the  men  and  women  singers,  terminat 
ing  in  one  united  chorus  repeated  again  and  again,  louder 
and  yet  louder,  till  it  culminated  in  a  veritable  crash  of 
melody,  then  of  a  sudden  ceased. 

Ayesha  rose  and  waved  her  sceptre,  whereon  all  the 
company  bowed  thrice,  then  turned  and  breaking  into 
some  sweet,  low  chant  that  sounded  like  a  lullaby, 
marched,  rank  after  rank,  across  the  width  of  the  Sanctu 
ary  and  through  the  carven  doors  which  closed  behind  the 
last  ot  them. 

When  all  had  gone,  leaving  us  alone,  save  for  the  priest 
Oros  and  the  priestess  Papave,  who  remained  in  attend 
ance  on  their  mistress,  Ayesha,  who  sat  gazing  before  her 
with  dreaming,  empty  eyes,  seemed  to  awake,  for  she  rose 
and  said — 

"  A  noble  chant,  is  it  not,  and  an  ancient  ?  It  was  the 
wedding  song  of  the  feast  of  Isis  and  Osiris  at  Behbit  in 
Egypt,  and  there  I  heard  it  before  ever  I  saw  the  dark 
some  Caves  of  Kor.  Often  have  I  observed,  my  Holly, 
that  music  lingers  longer  than  aught  else  in  this  change 
ful  world,  though  it  is  rare  that  the  very  words  should  re 
main  unvaried.  Come,  beloved — tell  me,  by  what  name 
shall  I  call  thee  ?  Thou  art  Kallikrates  and  yet " 

"  Call  me  Leo,  Ayesha,"  he  answered,  "  as  I  was  chris 
tened  in  the  only  life  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge. 
This  Kallikrates  seems  to  have  been  an  unlucky  man,  and 
the  deeds  he  did,  if  in  truth  he  was  aught  other  than  a  tool 
in  the  hand  of  destiny,  have  bred  no  good  to  the  inheritors 
of  his  body — or  his  spirit,  whichever  it  may  be — or  to 
those  women  with  whom  his  life  was  intertwined.  Call 
me  Leo,  then,  for  of  Kallikrates  I  have  had  enough  since 
that  night  when  I  looked  upon  the  last  of  him  in  Kor." 

"  Ah !  I  remember,"  she  answered,  "  when  thou  sawest 
thyself  lying  in  that  narrow  bed,  and  I  sang  thee  a  song, 
did  I  not,  of  the  past  and  of  the  future?  I  can  recall  two 
lines  of  it ;  the  rest  I  have  forgotten — 

*  Onward,  never  weary,  clad  with  splendour  for  a  robe  ! 
Till  accomplished  be  our  fate,  and  the  night  is  rushing  down.* 


2  $6  AYES  HA 

Yes,  my  Leo,  now  indeed  we  are  '  clad  with  splendour 
for  a  robe/  and  now  our  fate  draws  near  to  its  accomplish 
ment.  Then  perchance  will  come  the  down-rushing  of 
the  night ; "  and  she  sighed,  looked  up  tenderly  and  said, 
"  See,  I  am  talking  to  thee  in  Arabic.  Hast  thou  forgot 
ten  it?" 

"  No." 

"  Then  let  it  be  our  tongue,  for  I  love  it  best  of  all,  who 
lisped  it  at  my  mother's  knee.  Now  leave  me  here  alone 
awhile;  I  would  think.  Also,"  she  added  thoughtfully, 
and  speaking  with  a  strange  and  impressive  inflexion  of 
the  voice,  "  there  are  some  to  whom  I  must  give  audi 
ence." 

So  we  went,  all  of  us,  supposing  that  Ayesha  was  about 
to  receive  a  deputation  of  the  Chiefs  of  the  Mountain 
Tribes  who  came  to  felicitate  her  upon  her  betrothal. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

THE   THIRD   ORDEAL 

AN  hour,  two  hours  passed,  while  we  strove  to  rest  in 
our  sleeping  place,  but  could  not,  for  some  influence  dis 
turbed  us. 

"  Why  does  not  Ayesha  come?  "  asked  Leo  at  length, 
pausing  in  his  walk  up  and  down  the  room.  "  I  want  to 
see  her  again;  I  cannot  bear  to  be  apart  from  her.  I 
feel  as  though  she  were  drawing  me  to  her." 

"  How  can  I  tell  you  ?  Ask  Oros ;  he  is  outside  the 
door." 

So  he  went  and  asked  him,  but  Oros  only  smiled,  and 
answered  that  the  Hesea  had  not  entered  her  chamber,  so 
doubtless  she  must  still  remain  in  the  Sanctuary. 

"  Then  I  am  going  to  look  for  her.  Come,  Oros,  and 
you  too,  Horace." 

Oros  bowed,  but  declined,  saying  that  he  was  bidden  to 
bide  at  our  door,  adding  that  we,  "  to  whom  all  the  paths 
were  open,"  could  return  to  the  Sanctuary  if  we  thought 
well. 

"  I  do  think  well,"  replied  Leo  sharply.  "  Will  you 
come,  Horace,  or  shall  I  go  without  you  ?  " 

I  hesitated.  The  Sanctuary  was  a  public  place,  it  is  true, 
but  Ayesha  had  said  that  she  desired  to  be  alone  there 
for  awhile.  Without  more  words,  however,  Leo  shrugged 
his  shoulders  and  started. 

"  You  will  never  find  your  way,"  I  said,  and  followed 
him. 

We  went  down  the  long  passages  that  were  dimly 
lighted  with  lamps  and  came  to  the  gallery.  Here  we 

257 


258  'A  YES  HA 

found  no  lamps;  still  we  groped  our  way  to  the  great 
wooden  doors.  They  were  shut,  but  Leo  pushed  upon 
them  impatiently,  and  one  of  them  swung  open  a  little,  so 
that  we  could  squeeze  ourselves  between  them.  As  we 
passed  it  closed  noiselessly  behind  us. 

Now  we  should  have  been  in  the  Sanctuary,  and  in  the 
full  blaze  of  those  awful  columns  of  living  fire.  But  they 
were  out,  or  we  had  strayed  elsewhere ;  at  least  the  dark 
ness  was  intense.  We  tried  to  work  our  way  back  to  the 
doors  again,  but  could  not.  We  were  lost. 

More,  something  oppressed  us;  we  did  not  dare  to 
speak.  We  went  on  a  few  paces  and  stopped,  for  we  be 
came  aware  that  we  were  not  alone.  Indeed,  it  seemed  to 
me  that  we  stood  in  the  midst  of  a  thronging  multitude, 
but  not  of  men  and  women.  Beings  pressed  about  us ;  we 
could  feel  their  robes,  yet  could  not  touch  them ;  we  could 
feel  their  breath,  but  it  was  cold.  The  air  stirred  all 
round  us  as  they  passed  to  and  fro,  passed  in  endless 
numbers.  It  was  as  though  we  had  entered  a  cathedral 
filled  with  the  vast  congregation  of  all  the  dead  who  once 
had  worshipped  there.  We  grew  afraid — my  face  was 
damp  with  fear,  the  hair  stood  up  upon  my  head.  We 
seemed  to  have  wandered  into  a  hall  of  the  Shades. 

At  length  light  appeared  far  away,  and  we  saw  that  it 
emanated  from  the  two  pillars  of  fire  which  had  burned 
on  either  side  of  the  Shrine,  that  of  a  sudden  became 
luminous.  So  we  were  in  the  Sanctuary,  and  still  near  to 
the  doors.  Now  those  pillars  were  not  bright ;  they  were 
low  and  lurid;  the  rays  from  them  scarcely  reached  us 
standing  in  the  dense  shadow. 

But  if  we  could  not  be  seen  in  them  we  still  could  see. 
Look !  Yonder  sat  Ayesha  on  a  throne,  and  oh !  she  was 
awful  in  her  death-like  majesty.  The  blue  light  of  the 
sunken  columns  played  upon  her,  and  in  it  she  sat  erect, 
with  such  a  face  and  mien  of  pride  as  no  human  creature 
ever  wore.  Power  seemed  to  flow  from  her ;  yes,  it  flowed 
from  those  wide-set,  glittering  eyes  like  light  from  jewelsc 


THE    THIRD    ORDEAL  259 

She  seemed  a  Queen  of  Death  receiving  homage  from 
the  dead.  More,  she  was  receiving  homage  from  dead  or 
living — I  know  not  which — for,  as  I  thought  it,  a  shadowy 
Shape  arose  before  the  throne  and  bent  the  knee  to  her, 
then  another,  and  another,  and  another. 

As  each  vague  Being  appeared  and  bowed  its  starry 
head  she  raised  her  sceptre  in  answering  salutation.  We 
could  hear  the  distant  tinkle  of  the  sistrum  bells,  the  only 
sound  in  all  that  place,  yes,  and  see  her  lips  move,  though 
no  whisper  reached  us  from  them.  Surely  spirits  were 
worshipping  her ! 

We  gripped  each  other.  We  shrank  back  and  found 
the  door.  It  gave  to  our  push.  Now  we  were  in  the 
passages  again,  and  now  we  had  reached  our  room. 

At  its  entrance  Oros  was  standing  as  we  had  left  him. 
He  greeted  us  with  his  fixed  smile,  taking  no  note  of  the 
terror  written  on  our  faces.  We  passed  him,  and  enter 
ing  the  room  stared  at  each  other. 

"  What  is  she  ?  "  gasped  Leo.    "  An  angel  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  "  something  of  that  sort."  But  to 
myself  I  thought  that  there  are  doubtless  many  kinds  of 
angels. 

"And  what  were  those — those  shadows — doing?"  he 
asked  again. 

"  Welcoming  her  after  her  transformation,  I  suppose. 
But  perhaps  they  were  not  shadows — only  priests  dis 
guised  and  conducting  some  secret  ceremonial !  " 

Leo  shrugged  his  shoulders  but  made  no  other  answer. 

At  length  the  door  opened,  and  Oros,  entering,  said  that 
the  Hesea  commanded  our  presence  in  her  chamber. 

So,  still  oppressed  with  fear  and  wonder — for  what  we 
had  seen  was  perhaps  more  dreadful  than  anything  that 
had  gone  before — we  went,  to  find  Ayesha  seated  and 
looking  somewhat  weary,  but  otherwise  unchanged.  With 
her  was  the  priestess  Papave,  who  had  just  unrobed  her 
of  the  royal  mantle  which  she  wore  in  the  Sanctuary. 


26o  AYESHA 

Ayesha  beckoned  Leo  to  her,  taking  his  hand  and 
searching  his  face  with  her  eyes,  not  without  anxiety  as  I 
thought. 

Now  I  turned,  purposing  to  leave  them  alone,  but  she 
saw,  and  said  to  me,  smiling — 

"  Why  wouldst  thou  forsake  us,  Holly  ?  To  go  back 
to  the  Sanctuary  once  more  ?  "  and  she  looked  at  me  with 
meaning  in  her  glance.  "  Hast  thou  questions  to  ask  of 
the  statue  of  the  Mother  yonder  that  thou  lovest  the  place 
so  much  ?  They  say  it  speaks,  telling  of  the  future  to 
those  who  dare  to  kneel  beside  it  uncompanioned  from 
night  till  dawn.  Yet  I  have  often  done  so,  but  to  me  it 
has  never  spoken,  though  none  long  to  learn  the  future 
more." 

I  made  no  answer,  nor  did  she  seem  to  expect  any,  for 
she  went  on  at  once — 

"  Nay,  bide  here  and  let  us  have  done  with  all  sad  and 
solemn  thoughts.  We  three  will  sup  together  as  of  old, 
and  for  awhile  forget  our  fears  and  cares,  and  be  happy 
as  children  who  know  not  sin  and  death,  or  that  change 
which  is  death  indeed.  Oros,  await  my  lord  without. 
Papave,  I  will  call  thee  later  to  disrobe  me.  Till  then  let 
none  disturb  us." 

The  room  that  Ayesha  inhabited  was  not  very  large, 
as  we  saw  by  the  hanging  lamps  with  which  it  was  lighted. 
It  was  plainly  though  richly  furnished,  the  rock  walls 
being  covered  with  tapestries,  and  the  tables  and  chairs 
inlaid  with  silver,  but  the  only  token  that  here  a  woman 
had  her  home  was  that  about  it  stood  several  bowls  of 
flowers.  One  of  these,  I  remember,  was  filled  with  the 
delicate  harebells  I  had  admired,  dug  up  roots  and  all,  and 
set  in  moss. 

"  A  poor  place,"  said  Ayesha,  "  yet  better  than  that  in 
which  I  dwelt  those  two  thousand  years  awaiting  thy 
coming,  Leo,  for,  see,  beyond  it  is  a  garden,  wherein  I 
sit,"  and  she  sank  down  upon  a  couch  by  the  table,  mo 
tioning  to  us  to  take  our  places  opposite  to  her. 


THE    THIRD    ORDEAL  261 

The  meal  was  simple;  for  us,  eggs  boiled  hard  and 
cold  venison ;  for  her,  milk,  some  little  cakes  of  flour,  and 
mountain  berries. 

Presently  Leo  rose  and  threw  off  his  gorgeous,  purple- 
broidered  robe,  which  he  still  wore,  and  cast  upon  a  chair 
the  crook-headed  sceptre  that  Oros  had  again  thrust  into 
his  hand.  Ayesha  smiled  as  he  did  so,  saying — 

"  It  would  seem  that  thou  boldest  these  sacred  em 
blems  in  but  small  respect." 

"  Very  small,"  he  answered.  "  Thou  heardest  my 
words  in  the  Sanctuary,  Ayesha,  so  let  us  make  a  pact. 
Thy  religion  I  do  not  understand,  but  I  understand  my 
own,  and  not  even  for  thy  sake  will  I  take  part  in  what  I 
hold  to  be  idolatry." 

Now  I  thought  that  she  would  be  angered  by  this  plain 
speaking,  but  she  only  bowed  her  head  and  answered 
meekly — 

"  Thy  will  is  mine,  Leo,  though  it  will  not  be  easy  al 
ways  to  explain  thy  absence  from  the  ceremonies  in  the 
temple.  Yet  thou  hast  a  right  to  thine  own  faith,  which 
doubtless  is  mine  also." 

"  How  can  that  be  ?  "  he  asked,  looking  up. 

"  Because  all  great  Faiths  are  the  same,  changed  a  little 
to  suit  the  needs  of  passing  times  and  peoples.  What 
taught  that  of  Egypt,  which,  in  a  fashion,  wre  still  follow 
here  ?  That  hidden  in  a  multitude  of  manifestations,  one 
Power  great  and  good,  rules  all  the  universes :  that  the 
holy  shall  inherit  a  life  eternal  and  the  vile,  eternal  death : 
that  men  shall  be  shaped  and  judged  by  their  own  hearts 
and  deeds,  and  here  and  hereafter  drink  of  the  cup  which 
they  have  brewed :  that  their  real  home  is  not  on  earth, 
but  beyond  the  earth,  where  all  riddles  shall  be  answered 
and  all  sorrows  cease.  Say,  dost  thou  believe  these  things, 
as  I  do?" 

"  Aye,  Ayesha,  but  Hes  or  Isis  is  thy  goddess,  for  hast 
thou  not  told  us  tales  of  thy  dealings  with  her  in  the  past, 
and  did  we  not  hear  thee  make  thy  prayer  to  her  ?  Who, 
then,  is  this  goddess  Hes  ?  " 


262  AYESHA 

"  Know,  Leo,  that  she  is  what  I  named  her — Nature's 
soul,  no  divinity,  but  the  secret  spirit  of  the  world ;  that 
universal  Motherhood,  whose  symbol  thou  hast  seen  yon 
der,  and  in  whose  mysteries  lie  hid  all  earthly  life  and 
knowledge." 

"  Does,  then,  this  merciful  Motherhood  follow  her  vo 
taries  with  death  and  evil,  as  thou  sayest  she  has  followed 
thee  for  thy  disobedience,  and  me — and  another — because 
of  some  unnatural  vows  broken  long  ago  ?  "  Leo  asked 
quietly.  .A 

Resting  her  arm  upon  the  table,  Ayesha  looked  at  him 
with  sombre  eyes  an  answered — 

"  In  that  Faith  of  thine  of  which  thou  speakest  are 
there  perchance  two  gods,  each  having  many  ministers :  a 
god  of  good  and  a  god  of  evil,  an  Osiris  and  a  Set  ?  " 

He  nodded. 

"  I  thought  it.  And  the  god  of  ill  is  strong,  is  he  not, 
and  can  put  on  the  shape  of  good?  Tell  me,  then,  Leo, 
in  the  world  that  is  to-day,  whereof  I  know  so  little,  hast 
thou  ever  heard  of  frail  souls  who  for  some  earthly  bribe 
have  sold  themselves  to  that  evil  one,  or  to  his  minister, 
and  been  paid  their  price  in  bitterness  and  anguish  ?  " 

"  All  wicked  folk  do  as  much  in  this  form  or  in  that," 
he  answered. 

"  And  if  once  there  lived  a  woman  who  was  mad  with 
the  thirst  for  beauty,  for  life,  for  wisdom,  and  for  love, 
might  she  not — oh !  might  she  not  perchance — 

"  Sell  herself  to  the  god  called  Set,  or  one  of  his  angels? 
Ayesha,  dost  thou  mean  " — and  Leo  rose,  speaking  in  a 
voice  that  was  full  of  fear — "  that  thou  art  such  a 
woman  ?  " 

"  And  if  so  ? "  she  asked,  also  rising  and  drawing 
slowly  near  to  him. 

"  If  so,"  he  answered  hoars Jy,  "if  so,  I  think  that 
perhaps  we  had  best  fulfil  our  fatet  apart — 

"  Ah !  "  she  said,  with  a  little  scream  of  pain  as  though 
a  knife  had  stabbed  her,  "  wouldst  thou  away  to  Atene  ? 


THE    THIRD    ORDEAL  263 

I  tell  thee  that  thou  canst  not  leave  me.  I  have  power — 
above  all  men  thou  shouldst  know  it,  whom  once  I  slew. 
Nay,  thou  hast  no  memory,  poor  creature  of  a  breath,  and 
I — I  remember  too  well.  I  will  not  hold  thee  dead  again, 
—I'll  hold  thee  living.  Look  now  on  my  beauty,  Leo  " — 
and  she  bent  her  swaying  form  towards  him,  compelling 
him  with  her  glorious,  alluring  eyes — "  and  begone  if  thou 
canst.  Why,  thou  drawest  nearer  to  me.  Man,  that  is  not 
the  path  of  flight. 

"  Nay,  I  will  not  tempt  thee  with  these  common 
lures.  Go,  Leo,  if  thou  wilt.  Go,  my  love,  and  leave 
me  to  my  loneliness  and  my  sin.  Now — at  once.  Atene 
will  shelter  thee  till  spring,  when  thou  canst  cross  the 
mountains  and  return  to  thine  own  world  again,  and  to 
those  things  of  common  life  which  are  thy  joy.  See,  Leo, 
I  veil  myself  that  thou  mayest  not  be  tempted,"  and  she 
flung  the  corner  of  her  cloak  about  her  head,  then  asked  a 
sudden  question  through  it — 

"  Didst  thou  not  but  now  return  to  the  Sanctuary  with 
Holly  after  I  bade  thee  leave  me  there  alone  ?  Methought 
I  saw  the  two  of  you  standing  by  its  doors." 

"  Yes,  we  came  to  seek  thee,"  he  answered. 

"  And  found  more  than  ye  sought,  as  often  chances  to 
the  bold — is  it  not  so  ?  Well,  I  willed  that  ye  should  come 
and  see,  and  protected  you  where  others  might  have  died." 

"  What  didst  thou  there  upon  the  throne,  and  whose 
were  those  forms  which  we  saw  bending  before  thee  ?  " 
he  asked  coldly. 

"  I  have  ruled  in  many  shapes  and  lands,  Leo.  Per 
chance  they  were  ancient  companions  and  servitors  of 
mine  come  to  greet  me  once  again  and  to  hear  my 
tidings.  Or  perchance  they  were  but  shadows  of  thy 
brain,  pictures  like  those  upon  the  fire,  that  it  pleased  me 
to  summon  to  thy  sight,  to  try  thy  strength  and  con 
stancy. 

"  Leo  Vincey,  know  now  the  truth ;  that  all  things  are 
illusions,  even  that  there  exists  no  future  and  no  past, 


264  A  YES  HA 

that  what  has  been  and  what  shall  be  already  is  eternally. 
Know  that  I,  Ayesha,  am  but  a  magic  wraith,  foul  when 
thou  seest  me  foul,  fair  when  thou  seest  me  fair ;  a  spirit- 
bubble  reflecting  a  thousand  lights  in  the  sunshine  of  thy 
smile,  grey  as  dust  and  gone  in  the  shadow  of  thy  frown. 
Think  of  the  throned  Queen  before  whom  the  shadowy 
Powers  bowed  and  worship,  for  that  is  I.  Think  of  the 
hideous,  withered  Thing  thou  sawest  naked  on  the  rock, 
and  flee  away,  for  that  is  I.  Or  keep  me  lovely,  and 
adore,  knowing  all  evil  centred  in  my  spirit,  for  that  is  I. 
Now,  Leo,  thou  hast  the  truth.  Put  me  from  thee  for 
ever  and  for  ever  if  thou  wilt,  and  be  safe ;  or  clasp  me, 
clasp  me  to  thy  heart,  and  in  payment  for  my  lips  and 
love  take  my  sin  upon  thy  head !  Nay,  Holly,  be  thou 
silent,  for  now  he  must  judge  alone." 

Leo  turned,  as  I  thought,  at  first,  to  find  the  door.  But 
it  was  not  so,  for  he  did  but  walk  up  and  down  the  room 
awhile.  Then  he  came  back  to  where  Ayesha  stood,  and 
spoke  quite  simply  and  in  a  very  quiet  voice,  such  as  men 
of  his  nature  often  assume  in  moments  of  great  emotion. 

"  Ayesha,"  he  said,  "  when  I  saw  thee  as  thou  wast, 
aged  and — thou  knowest  how — I  clung  to  thee.  Now, 
when  thou  hast  told  me  the  secret  of  this  unholy  pact  of 
thine,  when  with  my  eyes,  at  least,  I  have  seen  thee  reign 
ing  a  mistress  of  spirits  good  or  ill,  yet  I  cling  to  thee. 
Let  thy  sin,  great  or  little — whate'er  it  is — be  my  sin  also. 
In  truth,  I  feel  its  weight  sink  to  my  soul  and  become  a 
part  of  me,  and  although  I  have  no  vision  or  power  of 
prophecy,  I  am  sure  that  I  shall  not  escape  its  punish 
ment.  Well,  though  I  be  innocent,  let  me  bear  it  for  thy 
sake.  I  am  content." 

Ayesha  heard,  the  cloak  slipped  from  her  head,  and  for 
a  moment  she  stood  silent  like  one  amazed,  then  burst 
into  a  passion  of  sudden  tears.  Down  she  went  before 
him,  and  clinging  to  his  garments,  she  bowed  her  stately 
shape  until  her  forehead  touched  the  ground.  Yes,  that 
proud  being,  who  was  more  than  mortal,  whose  nostrils 


THE    THIRD    ORDEAL  265 

but  now  had  drunk  the  incense  of  the  homage  of  ghosts 
or  spirits,  humbled  herself  at  this  man's  feet. 

With  an  exclamation  of  horror,  half-maddened  at  the 
piteous  sight,  Leo  sprang  to  one  side,  then  stooping,  lifted 
and  led  her  still  weeping  to  the  couch. 

"  Thou  knowest  not  what  thou  hast  done,"  Ayesha  said 
at  last.  "  Let  all  thou  sawest  on  the  Mountain's  crest 
or  in  the  Sanctuary  be  but  visions  of  the  night;  let  that 
tale  of  an  offended  goddess  be  a  parable,  a  fable,  if  thou 
wilt.  This  at  least  is  true,  that  ages  since  I  sinned  for 
thee  and  against  thee  and  another;  that  ages  since  I 
bought  beauty  and  life  indefinite  wherewith  I  might  win 
thee  and  endow  thee  at  a  cost  which  few  would  dare; 
that  I  have  paid  interest  on  the  debt,  in  mockery,  utter 
loneliness,  and  daily  pain  which  scarce  could  be  endured, 
until  the  bond  fell  due  at  last  and  must  be  satisfied. 

"  Yes,  how  I  may  not  tell  thee,  thou  and  thou  alone 
stoodst  between  me  and  the  full  discharge  of  this  most 
dreadful  debt — for  know7  that  in  mercy  it  is  given  to  us  to 
redeem  one  another." 

Now  he  would  have  spoken,  but  with  a  motion  of  her 
hand  she  bade  him  be  silent,  and  continued — 

"  See  now,  Leo,  three  great  dangers  has  thy  body  passed 
of  late  upon  its  journey  to  my  side ;  the  Death-hounds,  the 
Mountains,  and  the  Precipice.  Know  that  these  were  but 
types  and  ordained  foreshadowings  of  the  last  threefold 
trial  of  thy  soul.  From  the  pursuing  passions  of  Atene 
which  must  have  undone  us  both,  thou  hast  escaped  vic 
torious.  Thou  hast  endured  the  desert  loneliness  of  the 
sands  and  snows  starving  for  a  comfort  that  never  came. 
Even  when  the  avalanche  thundered  round  thee  thy  faith 
stood  fast  as  it  stood  above  the  Pit  of  flame,  while  after 
bitter  years  of  doubt  a  rushing  flood  of  horror  swallowed 
up  thy  hopes."  As  thou  didst  descend  the  glacier's  steep, 
not  knowing  what  lay  beneath  that  fearful  path,  so  but 
now  and  of  thine  own  choice,  for  very  love  of  me,  thou 
hast  plunged  headlong  into  an  abyss  that  is  deeper  far,  to 


266  AYESHA 

share  its  terrors  with  my  spirit.  Dost  thou  understand  at 
last?" 

"  Something,  not  all,  I  think,"  he  answered  slowly. 

"  Surely  thou  art  wrapped  in  a  double  veil  of  blindness," 
she  cried  impatiently.  "  Listen  again  : 

"  Hadst  thou  yielded  to  Nature's  crying  and  rejected  me 
but  yesterday,  in  that  foul  shape  I  must  perchance  have 
lingered  for  uncounted  time,  playing  the  poor  part  of 
priestess  of  a  forgotten  faith.  This  was  the  first  tempta 
tion,  the  ordeal  of  thy  flesh — nay,  not  the  first — the  sec 
ond,  for  Atene  and  her  lurings  were  the  first.  But  thou 
wast  loyal,  and  in  the  magic  of  thy  conquering  love  my 
beauty  and  my  womanhood  were  re-born. 

"  Hadst  thou  rejected  me  to-night,  when,  as  I  was  bid 
den  to  do,  I  showed  thee  that  vision  in  the  Sanctuary  and 
confessed  to  thee  my  soul's  black  crime,  then  hopeless  and 
helpless,  unshielded  by  my  earthly  power,  I  must  have 
wandered  on  into  the  deep  and  endless  night  of  solitude. 
This  was  the  third  appointed  test,  the  trial  of  thy  spirit, 
and  by  thy  steadfastness,  Leo,  thou  hast  loosed  the  hand 
of  Destiny  from  about  my  throat.  Now  I  am  regenerate 
in  thee — through  thee  may  hope  again  for  some  true  life 
beyond,  which  thou  shalt  share.  And  yet,  and  yet,  if  thou 
shouldst  suffer,  as  well  may  chance " 

"  Then  I  suffer,  and  there's  an  end,"  broke  in  Leo  se 
renely.  "  Save  for  a  few  things  my  mind  is  clear,  and 
there  must  be  justice  for  us  all  at  last.  If  I  have  broken 
the  bond  that  bound  thee,  if  I  have  freed  thee  from  some 
threatening,  spiritual  ill  by  taking  a  risk  upon  my  head, 
well,  I  have  not  lived,  and  if  need  be,  shall  not  die  in  vain. 
So  let  us  have  done  with  all  these  problems,  or  rather 
first  answer  thou  me  one.  Ayesha,  how  wast  thou  changed 
upon  that  peak  ?  " 

"  In  flame  I  left  thee,  Leo,  and  in  flame  I  did  return,  as 
in  flame,  mayhap,  we  shall  both  depart.  Or  perhaps  the 
change  was  in  the  eyes  of  all  of  you  who  watched,  and  not 
in  this  shape  of  mine.  I  have  answered.  Seek  to  learn 
no  more." 


THE    THIRD    ORDEAL  267 

"  One  thing  I  do  still  seek  to  learn.  Ayesha,  we  were 
betrothed  to-night.  When  wilt  thou  marry  me  ?  " 

"  Not  yet,  not  yet,"  she  answered  hurriedly,  her  voice 
quivering  as  she  spoke.  "  Leo,  thou  must  put  that  hope 
from  thy  thoughts  awhile,  and  for  some  few  months,  a 
year  perchance,  be  content  to  play  the  part  of  friend  and 
lover." 

"  Why  so  ? "  he  asked,  with  bitter  disappointment. 
"  Ayesha,  those  parts  have  been  mine  for  many  a  day ; 
more,  I  grow  no  younger,  and,  unlike  thee,  shall  soon  be 
old.  Also,  life  is  fleeting,  and  sometimes  I  think  that  I 
near  its  end." 

"  Speak  no  such  evil-omened  words,"  she  said,  spring 
ing  from  the  couch  and  stamping  her  sandalled  foot  upon 
the  ground  in  anger  born  of  fear.  :l  Yet  thou  sayest 
truth;  thou  art  unfortified  against  the  accidents  of  time 
and  chance.  Oh !  horrible,  horrible ;  thou  mightest  die 
again,  and  leave  me  living." 

"  Then  give  me  of  thy  life,  Ayesha." 

"  That  would  I  gladly,  all  of  it,  couldst  thou  but  repay 
me  with  the  boon  of  death  to  come. 

"  Oh !  ye  poor  mortals,"  she  went  on,  with  a  sudden 
burst  of  passion ;  "  ye  beseech  your  gods  for  the  gift  of 
many  years,  being  ignorant  that  ye  would  sow  a  seed 
within  your  breasts  whence  ye  must  garner  ten  thousand 
miseries.  Know  ye  not  that  this  world  is  indeed  the  wide 
house  of  hell,  in  whose  chambers  from  time  to  time  the 
spirit  tarries  a  little  while,  then,  weary  and  aghast,  speeds 
wailing  to  the  peace  that  it  has  won. 

"  Think  then  what  it  is  to  live  on  here  eternally  and  yet 
be  human ;  to  age  in  soul  and  see  our  beloved  die  and 
pass  to  lands  whither  we  may  not  hope  to  follow ;  to  wait 
while  drop  by  drop  the  curse  of  the  long  centuries  falls 
upon  our  imperishable  being,  like  water  slow  dripping  on 
a  diamond  that  it  cannot  wear,  till  they  be  born  anew  for 
getful  of  us,  and  again  sink  from  our  helpless  arms  into 
the  void  unknowable. 


268  AYESHA 

"  Think  what  it  is  to  see  the  sins  we  sin,  the  tempting 
look,  the  word  idle  or  unkind — aye,  even  the  selfish 
thought  or  struggle,  multiplied  ten  thousandfold  and  more 
eternal  than  ourselves,  spring  up  upon  the  universal  bo 
som  of  the  earth  to  be  the  bane  of  a  million  destinies, 
whilst  the  everlasting  Finger  writes  its  endless  count,  and 
a  cold  voice  of  Justice  cries  in  our  conscience-haunted  soli 
tude,  '  Oh !  soul  unshriven,  behold  the  ripening  harvest 
thy  wanton  hand  did  scatter,  and  long  in  vain  for  the  wa 
ters  of  forgetfulness/ 

"  Think  what  it  is  to  have  every  earthly  wisdom,  yet 
to  burn  unsatisfied  for  the  deeper  and  forbidden  draught ; 
to  gather  up  all  wealth  and  power  and  let  them  slip  again, 
like  children  weary  of  a  painted  toy ;  to  sweep  the  harp  of 
fame,  and,  maddened  by  its  jangling  music,  to  stamp  it 
small  beneath  our  feet ;  to  snatch  at  pleasure's  goblet  and 
find  its  wine  is  sand,  and  at  length,  outworn,  to  cast  us 
down  and  pray  the  pitiless  gods  with  whose  stolen  gar 
ment  we  have  wrapped  ourselves,  to  take  it  back  again, 
and  suffer  us  to  slink  naked  to  the  grave. 

"  Such  is  the  life  thou  askest,  Leo.  Say,  wilt  thou  have 
it  now?" 

"  If  it  may  be  shared  with  thee,"  he  answered.  "  These 
woes  are  born  of  loneliness,  but  then  our  perfect  fellow 
ship  would  turn  them  into  joy." 

"  Aye,"  she  said,  "  while  it  was  permitted  to  endure. 
So  be  it,  Leo.  In  the  spring,  when  the  snows  melt,  we 
will  journey  together  to  Libya,  and  there  thou  shalt  be 
bathed  in  the  Fount  of  Life,  that  forbidden  Essence  of 
which  once  thou  didst  fear  to  drink.  Afterwards  I  will 
wed  thee." 

"  That  place  is  closed  for  ever,  Ayesha." 

"  Not  to  my  feet  and  thine,"  she  answered.  "  Fear  not, 
my  love,  were  this  mountain  heaped  thereon,  I  would  blast 
a  path  through  it  with  mine  eyes  and  lay  its  secret  bare. 
Oh!  would  that  thou  wast  as  I  am,  for  then  before  to 
morrow's  sun  we'd  watch  the  rolling  pillar  thunder  by, 
and  thou  shouldst  taste  its  glory. 


THE    THIRD    ORDEAL  269 

"  But  it  may  not  be.  Hunger  or  cold  can  starve  thee, 
and  waters  drown;  swords  can  slay  thee,  or  sickness  sap 
away  thy  strength.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  false  Atene, 
who  disobeyed  my  words,  as  it  was  foredoomed  that  she 
should  do,  by  this  day  we  were  across  the  mountains,  or 
had  travelled  northward  through  the  frozen  desert  and  the 
rivers.  Now  we  must  await  the  melting  of  the  snows,  for 
winter  is  at  hand,  and  in  it,  as  thou  knowest,  no  man  can 
live  upon  their  heights." 

"  Eight  months  till  April  before  we  can  start,  and  how 
long  to  cross  the  mountains  and  all  the  vast  distances  be 
yond,  and  the  seas,  and  the  swamps  of  Kor  ?  Why,  at  the 
best,  Ayesha,  two  years  must  go  by  before  we  can  even 
find  the  place ;  "  and  he  fell  to  entreating  her  to  let  them 
be  wed  at  once  and  journey  afterwards. 

But  she  said,  Nay,  and  nay,  and  nay,  it  should  not  be, 
till  at  length,  as  though  fearing  his  pleading,  or  that  of  her 
own  heart,  she  rose  and  dismissed  us. 

"  Ah !  my  Holly,"  she  said  to  me  as  we  three  parted, 
"  I  promised  thee  and  myself  some  few  hours  of  rest  and 
of  the  happiness  of  quiet,  and  thou  seest  how  my  desire 
has  been  fulfilled.  Those  old  Egyptians  were  wont  to 
share  their  feasts  with  one  grizzly  skeleton,  but  here  I 
counted  four  to-night  that  you  both  could  see,  and  they 
are  named  Fear,  Suspense,  Foreboding,  and  Love-denied. 
Doubtless  also,  when  these  are  buried  others  will  come  to 
haunt  us,  and  snatch  the  poor  morsel  from  our  lips. 

"  So  hath  it  ever  been  with  me,  whose  feet  misfortune 
dogs.  Yet  I  hope  on,  and  now  many  a  barrier  lies  be 
hind  us ;  and  Leo,  thou  hast  been  tried  in  the  appointed, 
triple  fires  and  yet  proved  true.  Sweet  be  thy  slumbers,  O 
my  love,  and  sweeter  still  thy  dreams,  for  know,  my  soul 
shall  share  them.  I  vow  to  thee  that  to-morrow  we'll  be 
happy,  aye,  to-morrow  without  fail." 

"  Why  will  she  not  marry  me  at  once  ?  "  asked  Leo, 
when  we  were  alone  in  our  chamber. 
"  Because  she  is  afraid,"  I  answered. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

LEO   AND   THE   LEOPARD 

DURING  the  weeks  that  followed  these  momentous  days 
often  and  often  I  wondered  to  myself  whether  a  more 
truly  wretched  being  had  ever  lived  than  the  woman,  or  the 
spirit,  whom  we  knew  as  She,  Hes,  and  Ayesha.  Whether 
in  fact  also,  or  in  our  imagination  only,  she  had  arisen 
from  the  ashes  of  her  hideous  age  into  the  full  bloom  of 
perpetual  life  and  beauty  inconceivable. 

These  things  at  least  were  certain:  Ayesha  had 
achieved  the  secret  of  an  existence  so  enduring  that  for  all 
human  purposes  it  might  be  called  unending.  Within 
certain  limitations — such  as  her  utter  inability  to  foresee 
the  future — undoubtedly  also,  she  was  endued  with  pow 
ers  that  can  only  be  described  as  supernatural. 

Her  rule  over  the  strange  community  amongst  whom 
she  lived  was  absolute ;  indeed,  its  members  regarded  her 
as  a  goddess,  and  as  such  she  was  worshipped.  After 
marvellous  adventures,  the  man  who  was  her  very  life,  I 
might  almost  say  her  soul,  whose  being  was  so  mysteri 
ously  intertwined  with  hers,  whom  she  loved  also  with 
the  intensest  human  passion  of  which  woman  can  be  capa 
ble,  had  sought  her  out  in  this  hidden  corner  of  the  world. 

More,  thrice  he  had  proved  his  unalterable  fidelity  to 
her.  First,  by  his  rejection  of  the  royal  and  beautiful,  if 
undisciplined,  Atene.  Secondly,  by  clinging  to  Ayesha 
when  she  seemed  to  be  repulsive  to  every  natural  sense. 
Thirdly,  after  that  homage  scene  in  the  Sanctuary — 
though  with  her  unutterable  perfections  before  his  eyes 
this  did  not  appear  to  be  so  wonderful — by  steadfastness 

270 


LEO    AND    THE   LEOPARD  271 

in  the  face  of  her  terrible  avowal,  true  or  false,  that  she 
had  won  her  gifts  and  him  through  some  dim,  unholy  pact 
with  the  powers  of  evil,  in  the  unknown  fruits  and  conse 
quences  of  which  he  must  be  involved  as  the  price  of  her 
possession. 

Yet  Ayesha  was  miserable.  Even  in  her  lightest  moods 
it  was  clear  to  me  that  those  skeletons  at  the  feast  of  which 
she  had  spoken  were  her  continual  companions.  Indeed, 
when  we  were  alone  she  would  acknowledge  it  in  dark 
hints  and  veiled  allegories  or  allusions.  Crushed  though 
her  rival  the  Khania  Atene  might  be,  also  she  was  still 
jealous  of  her. 

Perhaps  "  afraid  "  would  be  a  better  word,  for  some 
instinct  seemed  to  warn  Ayesha  that  soon  or  late  her  hour 
would  come  to  Atene  again,  and  that  then  it  would  be  her 
own  turn  to  drink  of  the  bitter  waters  of  despair. 

What  troubled  her  more  a  thousandfold,  however,  were 
her  fears  for  Leo.  As  may  well  be  understood,  to  stand 
in  his  intimate  relationship  to  this  half  divine  and  mar 
vellous  being,  and  yet  not  to  be  allowed  so  much  as  to 
touch  her  lips,  did  not  conduce  to  his  physical  or  mental 
well-being,  especially  as  he  knew  that  the  wall  of  separa 
tion  must  not  be  climbed  for  at  least  two  years.  Little 
wonder  that  Leo  lost  appetite,  grew  thin  and  pale,  and 
could  not  sleep,  or  that  he  implored  her  continually  to  re 
scind -her  decree  and  marry  him. 

But  on  this  point  Ayesha  was  immovable.  Instigated 
thereto  by  Leo,  and  I  may  add  my  own  curiosity,  when 
we  were  alone  I  questioned  her  again  as  to  the  reasons  of 
this  self-denying  ordinance.  All  she  would  tell  me,  how 
ever,  was  that  between  them  rose  the  barrier  of  Leo's  mor 
tality,  and  that  until  his  physical  being  had  been  impreg 
nated  with  the  mysterious  virtue  of  the  Vapour  of  Life,  it 
was  not  wise^hat  she  should  take  him  as  a  husband. 

I  asked  her  why,  seeing  that  though  a  long-lived  one, 
she  was  still  a  woman,  whereon  her  face  assumed  a  calm 
but  terrifying  smile,  and  she  answered — 


272  "A  YES  HA 

"  Art  so  sure,  my  Holly  ?  Tell  me,  do  your  women 
wear  such  jewels  as  that  set -upon  my  brow?"  and  she 
pointed  to  the  faint  but  lambent  light  which  glowed  about 
her  forehead. 

More,  she  began  slowly  to  stroke  her  abundant  hair, 
then  her  breast  and  body.  Wherever  her  ringers  passed 
the  mystic  light  was  born,  until  in  that  darkened  room — 
for  the  dusk  was  gathering — she  shimmered  from  head 
to  foot  like  the  water  of  a  phosphorescent  sea,  a  being 
glorious  yet  fearful  to  behold.  Then  she  waved  her  hand, 
and,  save  for  the  gentle  radiance  on  her  brow,  became  as 
she  had  been. 

"  Art  so  sure,  my  Holly  ?  "  Ayesha  repeated.  "  Nay, 
shrink  not;  that  flame  will  not  burn  thee.  Mayhap  thou 
didst  but  imagine  it,  as  I  have  noted  thou  dost  imagine 
many  things ;  for  surely  no  woman  could  clothe  herself  in 
light  and  live,  nor  has  so  much  as  the  smell  of  fire  passed 
upon  my  garments." 

Then  at  length  my  patience  was  outworn,  and  I  grew 
angry. 

"  I  am  sure  of  nothing,  Ayesha,"  I  answered,  "  except 
that  thou  wilt  make  us  mad  with  all  these  tricks  and 
changes.  Say,  art  thou  a  spirit  then  ?  " 

"  We  are  all  spirits,"  she  said  reflectively,  "  and  I,  per 
haps,  more  than  some.  Who  can  be  certain  ?  " 

"  Not  I,"  I  answered.  "  Yet  I  implore,  woman  or 
spirit,  tell  me  one  thing.  Tell  me  the  truth.  In  the  be 
ginning  what  wast  thou  to  Leo,  and  what  was  he  to 
thee?" 

She  looked  at  me  very  solemnly  and  answered— 

"  Does  my  memory  deceive  me,  Holly,  or  is  it  written 
in  the  first  book  of  the  Law  of  the  Hebrews,  which  once 
I  used  to  study,  that  the  -sons  of  Heaven  came  down  to 
the  daughters  of  men,  and  found  that  they  were  fair  ?  " 

"  It  is  so  written,"  I  answered. 

"  Then,  Holly,  might  it  not  have  chanced  that  once  a 
daughter  of  Heaven  came  down  to  a  man  of  Earth  and 


LEO   AND    THE   LEOPARD  273 

loved  him  well?  Might  it  not  chance  that  for  her  great 
sin,  she,  this  high,  fallen  star,  who  had  befouled  her 
immortal  state  for  him,  was  doomed  to  suffer  till  at  length 
his  love,  made  divine  by  pain  and  faithful  even  to  a  mem 
ory,  was  permitted  to  redeem  her  ?  " 

Now  at  length  I  saw  light  and  sprang  up  eagerly,  but 
in  a  cold  voice  she  added : 

"  Nay,  Holly,  cease  to  question  me,  for  there  are  things 
of  which  I  can  but  speak  to  thee  in  figures  and  in  parables, 
not  to  mock  and  bewilder  thee,  but  because  I  must.  Inter 
pret  them  as  thou  wilt.  Still,  Atene  thought  me  no  mor 
tal,  since  she  told  us  that  man  and  spirit  may  not  mate; 
and  there  are  matters  in  which  I  let  her  judgment  weigh 
with  me,  as  without  doubt  now,  as  in  other  lives,  she  and 
that  old  Shaman,  her  uncle,  have  wisdom,  aye,  and  fore 
sight.  So  bid  my  lord  press  me  no  more  to  wed  him,  for 
it  gives  me  pain  to  say  him  nay — ah !  thou  knowest  not 
how  much. 

"  Moreover,  I  will  declare  myself  to  thee,  old  friend ; 
whatever  else  I  be,  at  least  I  am  too  womanly  to  listen  to 
the  pleadings  of  my  best  beloved  and  not  myself  be 
moved.  See,  I  have  set  a  curb  upon  desire  and  drawn  it 
until  my  heart  bleeds ;  but  if  he  pursues  me  with  con 
tinual  words  and  looks  of  burning  love,  who  knoweth 
but  that  I  shall  kindle  in  his  flame  and  throw  the  reins  of 
reason  to  the  winds  ? 

"  Oh,  then  together  we  might  race  adown  our  pas 
sions'  steep ;  together  dare  the  torrent  that  rages  at  its 
foot,  and  there  perchance  be  whelmed  or  torn  asunder. 
Nay,  nay,  another  space  of  journeying,  but  a  little  space, 
and  we  reach  the  bridge  my  wisdom  found,  and  cross  it 
safely,  and  beyond  for  ever  ride  on  at  ease  through  the 
happy  meadows  of  our  love." 

Then  she  was  silent,  nor  would  she  speak  more  upon 
the  matter.  'Also — and  this  was  the  worst  of  it — even 
now  I  was  not  sure  that  she  told  me  the  truth,  or,  at  any 
rate,  all  of  it,  for  to  Ayesha's  mind  truth  seemed  many  col- 


274  A  YES  HA 

cured  as  are  the  rays  of  light  thrown  from  the  different 
faces  of  a  cut  jewel.  We  never  could  be  certain  which 
shade  of  it  she  was  pleased  to  present,  who,  whether  by 
preference  or  of  necessity,  as  she  herself  had  said,  spoke 
of  such  secrets  in  figures  of  speech  and  parables. 

It  is  a  fact  that  to  this  hour  I  do  not  know  whether 
Ayesha  is  spirit  or  woman,  or,  as  I  suspect,  a  blend  of 
both.  I  do  not  know  the  limits  of  her  powers,  or  if  that 
elaborate  story  of  the  beginning  of  her  love  for  Leo  was 
true — which  personally  I  doubt — or  but  a  fable,  invented 
by  her  mind,  and  through  it,  as  she  had  hinted,  pictured 
on  the  flame  for  her  own  hidden  purposes. 

I  do  not  know  whether  when  first  we  saw  her  on  the 
Mountain  she  was  really  old  and  hideous,  or  did  but  put 
on  that  shape  in  our  eyes  in  order  to  test  her  lover.  I 
do  not  know  whether,  as  the  priest  Oros  bore  witness — 
which  he  may  well  have  been  bidden  to  do — her  spirit 
passed  into  the  body  of  the  dead  priestess  of  Hes,  or 
whether  when  she  seemed  to  perish  there  so  miserably, 
her  body  and  her  soul  were  wafted  straightway  from  the 
Caves  of  Kor  to  this  Central  Asian  peak. 

I  do  not  know  why,  as  she  was  so  powerful,  she  did 
not  come  to  seek  us,  instead  of  leaving  us  to  seek  her 
through  so  many  weary  years,  though  I  suggest  that 
some  superior  force  forbade  her  to  do  more  than  com 
panion  us  unseen,  watching  our  every  act,  reading  our 
every  thought,  until  at  length  we  reached  the  predestined 
place  and  hour.  Also,  as  will  appear,  there  were  other 
things  of  which  this  is  not  the  time  to  speak,  whereby 
I  am  still  more  tortured  and  perplexed. 

In  short,  I  know  nothing,  except  that  my  existence  has 
been  intertangled  with  one  of  the  great  mysteries  of  the 
world;  that  the  glorious  being  called  Ayesha  won  the 
secret  of  life  from  whatever  power  holds  it  in  its  keeping ; 
that  she  alleged — although  of  this,  remember,  we  have 
no  actual  proof — such  life  was  to  be  attained  by  bathing 
in  a  certain  emanation,  vapour  or  essence;  that  she  was 


LEO   AND    THE   LEOPARD  275 

possessed  by  a  passion  not  easy  to  understand,  but  terrific 
in  its  force  and  immortal  in  its  nature,  concentrated  upon 
one  other  being  and  one  alone.  That  through  this  passion 
also  some  angry  fate  smote  her  again,  again,  and  yet 
again,  making  of  her  countless  days  a  burden,  and  leading 
the  power  and  the  wisdom  which  knew  all  but  could  fore 
know  nothing,  into  abysses  of  anguish,  suspense,  and  dis 
appointment  such  as — Heaven  be  thanked ! — we  common 
men  and  women  are  not  called  upon  to  plumb. 

For  the  rest,  should  human  eyes  ever  fall  upon  it,  each 
reader  must  form  his  own  opinion  of  this  history,  its 
true  interpretation  and  significance.  These  and  the  exact 
parts  played  by  Atene  and  myself  in  its  development  I 
hope  to  solve  shortly,  though  not  here. 

Well,  as  I  have  said,  the  upshot  of  it  all  was  that  Aye- 
sha  was  devoured  with  anxiety  about  Leo.  Except  in  this 
matter  of  marriage,  his  every  wish  was  satisfied,  and  in 
deed  forestalled.  Thus  he  was  never  again  asked  to  share 
in  any  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  Sanctuary,  though,  in 
deed,  stripped  of  its  rites  and  spiritual  symbols,  the  re 
ligion  of  the  College  of  Hes  proved  pure  and  harmless 
enough.  It  was  but  a  diluted  version  of  the  Osiris  and 
I  sis  worship  of  old  Egypt,  from  which  it  had  been  in 
herited,  mixed  with  the  Central  Asian  belief  in  the  trans 
migration  or  reincarnation  of  souls  and  the  possibility  of 
drawing  near  to  the  ultimate  Godhead  by  holiness  of 
thought  and  life. 

In  fact,  the  head  priestess  and  Oracle  was  only  wor 
shipped  as  a  representative  of  the  Divinity,  while  the 
temporal  aims  of  the  College  in  practice  were  confined  to 
good  works,  although  it  is  true  that  they  still  sighed  for 
their  lost  authority  over  the  country  of  Kaloon.  Thus 
they  had  hospicals,  and  during  the  long  and  severe  win 
ters,  when  the  Tribes  of  the  Mountain  slopes  were  often 
driven  to  the  verge  of  starvation,  gave  liberally  to  the 
destitute  from  their  stores  of  food. 


276  'AYES  HA 

Leo  liked  to  be  with  Ayesha  continually,  so  we  spent 
each  evening  in  her  company,  and  much  of  the  day  also, 
until  she  found  that  this  inactivity  told  upon  him  who  for 
years  had  been  accustomed  to  endure  every  rigour  of  cli 
mate  in  the  open  air.  After  this  came  home  to  her — al 
though  she  was  always  haunted  by  terror  lest  any  accident 
should  befall  him — Ayesha  insisted  upon  his  going  out  to 
kill  the  wild  sheep  and  the  ibex,  which  lived  in  numbers 
on  the  mountain  ridges,  placing  him  in  the  charge  of  the 
chiefs  and  huntsmen  of  the  Tribes,  with  whom  thus  he 
became  well  acquainted.  In  this  exercise,  however,  I  ac 
companied  him  but  rarely,  as,  if  used  too  much,  my  arm 
still  gave  me  pain. 

Once  indeed  such  an  accident  did  happen.  I  was  seated 
in  the  garden  with  Ayesha  and  watching  her.  Her  head 
rested  on  her  hand,  and  she  was  looking  with  her  wide 
eyes,  across  which  the  swift  thoughts  passed  like  clouds 
over  a  windy  sky,  or  dreams  through  the  mind  of  a 
sleeper — looking  out  vacantly  towards  the  mountain 
snows.  Seen  thus  her  loveliness  was  inexpressible,  amaz 
ing;  merely  to  gaze  upon  it  was  an  intoxication.  Con 
templating  it,  I  understood  indeed  that,  like  to  that  of  the 
fabled  Helen,  this  gift  of  hers  alone — and  it  was  but  one 
of  many — must  have  caused  infinite  sorrows,  had  she  ever 
been  permitted  to  display  it  to  the  world.  It  would  have 
driven  humanity  to  madness :  the  men  with  longings  and 
the  women  with  jealousy  and  hate. 

And  yet  in  what  did  her  surpassing  beauty  lie  ?  Aye- 
sha's  face  and  form  were  perfect,  it  is  true;  but  so  are 
those  of  some  other  women.  Not  in  these  then  did  it  live 
alone,  but  rather,  I  think,  especially  while  what  I  may 
call  her  human  moods  were  on  her,  in  the  soft  mystery 
that  dwelt  upon  her  features  and  gathered  and  changed 
in  her  splendid  eyes.  Some  such  mystery  may  be  seen, 
however  faintly,  on  the  faces  of  certain  of  the  masterpieces 
of  the  Greek  sculptors,  but  Ayesha  it  clothed  like  an  ever- 
present  atmosphere,  suggesting  a  glory  that  was  not  of 
earth,  making  her  divine. 


LEO   AND    THE   LEOPARD  277 

As  I  gazed  at  her  and  wondered  thus,  of  a  sudden  she 
became  terribly  agitated,  and,  pointing  to  a  shoulder  of 
the  Mountain  miles  and  miles  away,  said — 

"Look!" 

I  looked,  but  saw  nothing  except  a  sheet  of  distant 
snow. 

"  Blind  fool,  canst  thou  not  see  that  my  lord  is  in  dan 
ger  of  his  life  ?  "  she  cried.  "  Nay,  I  forgot,  thou  hast  no 
vision.  Take  it  now  from  me  and  look  again ;  "  and  lay 
ing  her  hand,  from  which  a  strange,  numbing  current 
seemed  to  flow,  upon  my  head,  she  muttered  some  swift 
words. 

Instantly  my  eyes  were  opened,  and,  not  upon  the  dis 
tant  Mountain,  but  in  the  air  before  me  as  it  were,  I  saw 
Leo  rolling  over  and  over  at  grips  with  a  great  snow- 
leopard,  whilst  the  chief  and  huntsmen  with  him  ran 
round  and  round,  seeking  an  opportunity  to  pierce  the 
savage  brute  with  their  spears  and  yet  leave  him  un 
harmed. 

Ayesha,  rigid'  with  terror,  swayed  to  and  fro  at  my 
side,  till  presently  the  end  came,  for  I  could  see  Leo  drive 
his  long  knife  into  the  bowels  of  the  leopard,  which  at 
once  grew  limp,  separated  from  him,  and  after  a  struggle 
or  two  in  the  bloodstained  snow,  lay  still.  Then  he  rose, 
laughing  and  pointing  to  his  rent  garments,  whilst  one 
of  the  huntsmen  came  forward  and  began  to  bandage 
some  wounds  in  his  hands  and  thigh  with  strips  of  linen 
torn  from  his  under-robe. 

The  vision  vanished  suddenly  as  it  had  come,  and  I 
felt  Ayesha  leaning  heavily  upon  my  shoulder  like  any 
other  frightened  woman,  and  heard  her  gasp — 

"  That  danger  also  has  passed  by,  but  how  many  are 
there  to  follow?  Oh!  tormented  heart,  how  long  canst 
thou  endure  L" 

Then  her  wrath  flamed  up  against  the  chief  and  his 
huntsmen,  and  she  summoned  messengers  and  sent  them 
out  at  speed  with  a  litter  and  ointments,  bidding  them  to 


278  A  YES  HA 

bear  back  the  lord  Leo  and  to  bring  his  companions  to  her 
very  presence. 

"  Thou  seest  what  days  are  mine,  my  Holly,  aye,  and 
have  been  these  many  years,"  she  said ;  "  but  those  hounds 
shall  pay  me  for  this  agony." 

Nor  would  she  suffer  me  to  reason  with  her. 

Four  hours  later  Leo  returned,  limping  after  the  litter 
in  which,  instead  of  himself,  for  whom  it  was  sent,  lay 
a  mountain  sheep  and  the  skin  of  the  snow-leopard  that 
he  had  placed  there  to  save  the  huntsmen  the  labour  of 
carrying  them.  Ayesha  was  waiting  for  him  in  the  hall 
of  her  dwelling,  and  gliding  to  him — I  cannot  say  she 
walked — overwhelmed  him  with  mingled  solicitude  and 
reproaches.  He  listened  awhile,  then  asked — 

"  How  dost  thou  know  anything  of  this  matter?  The 
leopard  skin  has  not  yet  been  brought  to  thee." 

"  I  know  because  I  saw,"  she  answered.  "  The  worst 
hurt  was  above  thy  knee;  hast  thou  dressed  it  with  the 
salve  I  sent  ?  " 

"  Not  I,"  he  said.  "  But  thou  hast  not  left  this  Sanctu 
ary  ;  how  didst  thou  see  ?  By  thy  magic  ?  " 

"  If  thou  wilt,  at  least  I  saw,  and  Holly  also  saw  thee 
rolling  in  the  snow  with  that  fierce  brute,  while  those 
curs  ran  round  like  scared  children." 

"  I  am  weary  of  this  magic,"  interrupted  Leo  crossly. 
"  Cannot  a  man  be  left  alone  for  an  hour  even  with  a 
leopard  of  the  mountain  ?  As  for  those  brave  men — 

At  this  moment  Oros  entered  and  whispered  something, 
bowing  low. 

"  As  for  those  '  brave  men,'  I  will  deal  with  them," 
said  Ayesha  with  bitter  emphasis,  and  covering  herself — 
for  she  never  appeared  unveiled  to  the  people  of  the 
Mountain — she  swept  from  the  place. 

"  Where  has  she  gone,  Horace?  "  asked  Leo.  "  To  one 
of  her  services  in  the  Sanctuary  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  answered ;  "  but  if  so,  I  think  it  will 
be  that  chief's  burial  service." 


LEO    AND    THE   LEOPARD  279 

"  Will  it  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  and  instantly  limped  after 
her. 

A  minute  or  two  later  I  thought  it  wise  to  follow.  In 
the  Sanctuary  a  curious  scene  was  in  progress.  Ayesha 
was  seated  in  front  of  the  statue.  Before  her,  very  much 
frightened,  knelt  a  brawny,  red-haired  chieftain  and  five 
of  his  followers,  who  still  carried  their  hunting  spears, 
while  with  folded  arms  and  an  exceedingly  grim  look 
upon  his  face,  Leo,  who,  as  I  learned  afterwards,  had  al 
ready  interfered  and  been  silenced,  stood  upon  one  side 
listening  to  what  passed.  At  a  little  distance  behind  were 
a  dozen  or  more  of  the  temple  guards,  men  armed  with 
swords  and  picked  for  their  strength  and  stature. 

Ayesha,  in  her  sweetest  voice,  was  questioning  the  men 
as  to  how  the  leopard,  of  which  the  skin  lay  before  her, 
had  come  to  attack  Leo.  The  chief  answered  that  they 
had  tracked  the  brute  to  its  lair  between  two  rocks ;  that 
one  of  them  had  gone  in  and  wounded  it,  whereon  it 
sprang  upon  him  and  struck  him  down ;  that  then  the  lord 
Leo  had  engaged  it  while  the  man  escaped,  and  was  also 
struck  down,  after  which,  rolling  with  it  on  the  ground, 
he  stabbed  and  slew  the  animal.  That  was  all. 

"  No,  not  all,"  said  Ayesha ;  "  for  you  forget,  cowards 
that  you  are,  that,  keeping  yourselves  in  safety,  you  left 
my  lord  to  the  fury  of  this  beast.  Good.  Drive  them  out 
on  to  the  Mountain,  there  to  perish  also  at  the  fangs  of 
beasts,  and  make  it  known  that  he  who  gives  them  food 
or  shelter  dies." 

Offering  no  prayer  for  pity  or  excuse,  the  chief  and 
his  followers  rose,  bowed,  and  turned  to  go. 

"  Stay  a  moment,  comrades,"  said  Leo,  "  and,  chief, 
give  me  your  arm ;  my  scratch  grows  stiff ;  I  cannot  walk 
fast.  We  will  finish  this  hunt  together." 

"  What  doest  thou  ?    Art  mad  ?  "  asked  Ayesha. 

"  I  know  not  whether  I  am  mad,"  he  answered,  "  but 
I  know  that  thou  art  wicked  and  unjust.  Look  now,  than 
these  hunters  none  braver  ever  breathed.  That  man  " — 


28o  'A  YES  HA 

and  he  pointed  to  the  one  whom  the  leopard  had  struck 
down — "  took  my  place  and  went  in  before  me  because 
I  ordered  that  we  should  attack  the  creature,  and  thus 
was  felled.  As  thou  seest  all,  thou  mightest  have  seen 
this  also.  Then  it  sprang  on  me,  and  the  rest  of  these, 
my  friends,  ran  round  waiting  a  chance  to  strike,  which 
at  first  they  could  not  do  unless  they  would  have  killed  me 
with  it,  since  I  and  the  brute  rolled  over  and  over  in  the 
snow.  As  it  was,  one  of  them  seized  it  with  his  bare 
hands  :  look  at  the  teeth  marks  on  his  arm.  So  if  they  are 
to  perish  on  the  Mountain,  I,  who  am  the  man  to  blame, 
perish  with  them." 

Now,  while  the  hunters  looked  at  him  with  fervent 
gratitude  in  their  eyes,  Ayesha  thought  a  little,  then  said 
cleverly  enough — 

"  In  truth,  my  lord  Leo,  had  I  known  all  the  tale,  well 
mightest  thou  have  named  me  wicked  and  unjust;  but 
I  knew  only  what  I  saw,  and  out  of  their  own  mouths 
did  I  condemn  them.  My  servants,  my  lord  here  has 
pleaded  for  you,  and  you  are  forgiven;  more,  he  who 
rushed  in  upon  the  leopard  and  he  who  seized  it  with  his 
hands  shall  be  rewarded  and  advanced.  Go ;  but  I  warn 
you  if  you  suffer  my  lord  to  come  into  more  danger,  you 
shall  not  escape  so  easily  again." 

So  they  bowed  and  went,  still  blessing  Leo  with  their 
eyo:  since  death  by  exposure  on  the  Mountain  snows 
was  che  most  terrible  form  of  punishment  known  to  these 
people,  and  one  only  inflicted  by  the  direct  order  of  Hes 
upon  murderers  or  other  great  criminals. 

When  we  had  left  the  Sanctuary  and  were  alone  again 
in  the  hall,  the  storm  that  I  had  seen  gathering  upon 
Leo's  face  broke  in  earnest.  Ayesha  renewed  her  in 
quiries  about  his  wounds,  and  wished  to  call  Oros,  the 
physician,  to  dress  them,  and  as  he  refused  this,  offered  to 
do  so  herself.  He  begged  that  she  would  leave  his  wounds 
alone,  and  then,  his  great  beard  bristling  with  wrath, 


LEO   AND    THE   LEOPARD  281 

asked  her  solmenly  if  he  was  a  child  in  arms,  a  query  so 
absurd  that  I  could  not  help  laughing-. 

Then  he  scolded  her — yes,  he  scolded  Ayesha !  Wish 
ing  to  know  what  she  meant  (i)  by  spying  upon  him 
with  her  magic,  an  evil  gift  that  he  had  always  disliked 
and  mistrusted;  (2)  by  condemning  brave  and  excellent 
men,  his  good  friends,  to  a  death  of  fiendish  cruelty 
upon  such  evidence,  or  rather  out  of  temper,  on  no  evi 
dence  at  all ;  and  (3)  by  giving  him  into  charge  of  them, 
as  though  he  were  a  little  boy,  and  telling  them  that  they 
would  have  to  answer  for  it  if  he  were  hurt :  he  who,  in 
his  time,  had  killed  every  sort  of  big  game  known  and 
passed  through  some  perils  and  encounters  ? 

Thus  he  beat  her  with  his  words,  and,  wonderful  to 
say,  Ayesha,  this  being  more  than  woman,  submitted  to 
the  chastisement  meekly.  Yet  had  any  other  man  dared 
to  address  her  with  roughness  even,  I  doubt  not  that  his 
speech  and  his  life  would  have  come  to  a  swift  and  simul 
taneous  end,  for  I  knew  that  now,  as  of  old,  she  could  slay 
by  the  mere  effort  of  her  will.  But  she  did  not  slay ;  she 
did  not  even  threaten,  only,  as  any  other  loving  woman 
might  have  done,  she  began  to  cry.  Yes,  great  tears 
gathered  in  those  lovely  eyes  of  hers  and,  rolling  one 
by  one  down  her  face,  fell — for  her  head  was  bent  hum 
bly  forward — like  heavy  raindrops  on  the  marble  floor. 

At  the  sight  of  this  touching  evidence  of  her  human, 
loving  heart  all  Leo's  anger  melted.  Now  it  was  he 
who  grew  penitent  and  prayed  her  pardon  humbly.  She 
gave  him  her  hand  in  token  of  forgiveness,  saying — 

"  Let  others  speak  to  me  as  they  will  "  (sorry  should 
I  have  been  to  try  it)  !  "  but  from  thee,  Leo,  I  cannot  bear 
harsh  words.  Oh,  thou  art  cruel,  cruel.  In  what  have  I 
offended?  Can  I  help  it  if  my  spirit  keeps  its  watch 
upon  thee,  Ss  indeed,  though  thou  knewest  it  not,  it  has 
done  ever  since  we  parted  yonder  in  the  Place  of  Life  ? 
Can  I  help  it  if,  like  some  mother  who  sees  her  little 
child  at  play  upon  a  mountain's  edge,  my  soul  is  torn 


282  A  YES  HA 

with  agony  when  I  know  thee  in  dangers  that  I  am  power 
less  to  prevent  or  share?  What  are  the  lives  of  a  few 
half-wild  huntsmen  that  I  should  let  them  weigh  for  a 
single  breath  against  thy  safety,  seeing  that  if  I  slew 
these,  others  would  be  more  careful  of  thee  ?  Whereas  if 
I  slay  them  not,  they  or  their  fellows  may  even  lead  thee 
into  perils  that  would  bring  about — thy  death/'  and  she 
gasped  with  horror  at  the  word. 

"  Listen,  beloved,"  said  Leo.  '''  The  life  of  the  hum 
blest  of  those  men  is  of  as  much  value  to  him  as  mine  is 
to  me,  and  thou  hast  no  more  right  to  kill  him  than  thou 
hast  to  kill  me.  It  is  evil  that  because  thou  carest  for  me 
thou  shouldst  suffer  thy  love  to  draw  thee  into  cruelty  and 
crime.  If  thou  art  afraid  for  me,  then  clothe  me  with 
that  immortality  of  thine,  which,  although  I  dread  it 
somewhat,  holding  it  a  thing  unholy,  and,  on  this  earth, 
not  permitted  by  my  Faith,  I  should  still  rejoice  to  inherit 
for  thy  dear  sake,  knowing  that  then  we  could  never  more 
be  parted.  Or,  if  as  thou  sayest,  this  as  yet  thou  canst  not 
do,  then  let  us  be  wed  and  take  what  fortune  gives  us. 
All  men  must  die ;  but  at  least  before  I  die  I  shall  have 
been  happy  with  thee  for  a  while — yes,  if  only  for  a  single 
liour." 

"  Would  that  I  dared,"  Ayesha  answered  with  a  little 
piteous  motion  of  her  hand.  "  Oh !  urge  me  no  more, 
Leo,  lest  that  at  last  I  should  take  the  risk  and  lead  thee 
down  a  dreadful  road.  Leo,  hast  thou  never  heard  of  the 
love  which  slays,  or  of  the  poison  that  may  lurk  in  a 
cup  of  joy  too  perfect?  " 

Then,  as  though  she  feared  herself,  Ayesha  turned 
from  him  and  fled. 

Thus  this  matter  ended.  In  itself  it  was  not  a  great 
one,  for  Leo's  hurts  were  mere  scratches,  and  the  hunters, 
instead  of  being  killed,  were  promoted  to  be  members  of 
his  body-guard.  Yet  it  told  us  many  things.  For  in 
stance,  that  whenever  she  chose  to  do  so,  Ayesha  had  the 


LEO   AND    THE   LEOPARD  283 

power  of  perceiving  all  Leo's  movements  from  afar,  and 
even,  of  communicating  her  strength  of  mental  vision  to 
others,  although  to  help  him  in  any  predicament  she  ap 
peared  to  have  no  power,  which,  of  course,  accounted  for 
the  hideous  and  ever-present  might  of  her  anxiety. 

Think  what  it  would  be  to  any  one  of  us  were  we  mys 
teriously  acquainted  with  every  open  danger,  every  risk 
of  sickness,  every  secret  peril  through  which  our  best- 
beloved  must  pass.  To  see  the  rock  trembling  to  its 
fall  and  they  loitering  beneath  it ;  to  see  them  drink  of  wa 
ter  and  know  it  full  of  foulest  poison  ;  to  see  them  embark 
upon  a  ship  and  be  aware  that  it  was  doomed  to  sink, 
but  not  to  be  able  to  warn  them  or  to  prevent  them. 
Surely  no  mortal  brain  could  endure  such  constant  ter 
rors,  since  hour  by  hour  the  arrows  of  death  flit  unseen 
and  unheard  past  the  breasts  of  each  of  us,  till  at  length 
one  finds  its  home  there. 

What  then  must  Ayesha  have  suffered,  watching  with 
her  spirit's  eyes  all  the  hair-breadth  escapes  of  our  jour- 
neyings?  When,  for  instance,  in  the  beginning  she  saw 
Leo  at  my  house  in  Cumberland  about  to  kill  himself  in 
his  madness  and  despair,  and  by  some  mighty  effort  of  her 
superhuman  will,  wrung  from  whatever  Power  it  was 
that  held  her  in  its  fearful  thraldom,  the  strength  to  hurl 
her  soul  across  the  world  and  thereby  in  his  sleep  reveal 
to  him  the  secret  of  the  hiding-place  where  he  would  find 
her. 

Or  to  take  one  more  example  out  of  many — when  she 
saw  him  hanging  by  that  slender  thread  of  yak's  hide 
from  the  face  of  the  waterfall  of  ice  and  herself  remained 
unable  to  save  him,  or  even  to  look  forward  for  a  single 
moment  and  learn  whether  or  no  he  was  about  to  meet  a 
hideous  death,  in  which  event  she  must  live  on  alone  until 
in  some  dim  age  he  was  born  again. 

Nor  can  her  sorrows  have  ended  with  these  more  ma 
terial  fears,  since  others  as  piercing  must  have  haunted' 
her.  Imagine,  for  instance,  the  agonies  of  her  jealous 


284  UYESHA 

heart  when  she  knew  her  lover  to  be  exposed  to  the 
temptations  incident  to  his  solitary  existence,  and  more 
especially  to  those  of  her  ancient  rival  Atene,  who,  by 
Ayesha's  own  account,  had  once  been  his  wife.  Imagine 
also  her  fears  lest  time  and  human  change  should  do 
their  natural  work  on  him,  so  that  by  degrees  the  memory 
of  her  wisdom  and  her  strength,  and  the  image  of  her 
loveliness  faded  from  his  thought,  and  with  them  his  de 
sire  for  her  company ;  thus  leaving  her  who  had  endured 
so  long,  forgotten  and  alone  at  last. 

Truly,  the  Power  that  limited  our  perceptions  did  so 
in  purest  mercy,  for  were  it  otherwise  with  us,  our  race 
would  go  mad  and  perish  raving  in  its  terrors. 

Thus  it  would  seem  that  Ayesha,  great  tormented  soul, 
thinking  to  win  life  and  love  eternal  and  most  glorious, 
was  in  truth  but  another  blind  Pandora.  From  her  stolen 
casket  of  beauty  and  super-human  power  had  leapt  into 
her  bosom,  there  to  dwell  unceasingly,  a  hundred  tortur 
ing  demons,  of  whose  wings  mere  mortal  kind  do  but  feel 
the  far-off,  icy  shadowing. 

Yes;  and  that  the  parallel  might  be  complete,  Hope 
alone  still  lingered  in  that  rifled  chest. 


CHAPTER   XX 
AYESHA'S  ALCHEMY 

IT  was  shortly  after  this  incident  of  the  snow-leopard  that 
one  of  these  demon  familiars  of  Ayesha's,  her  infinite 
ambition,  made  its  formidable  appearance.  When  we 
had  dined  with  her  in  the  evening,  Ayesha's  habit  was  to 
discuss  plans  for  our  mighty  and  unending  future,  that 
awful  inheritance  which  she  had  promised  to  us. 

Here  I  must  explain,  if  I  have  not  done  so  already, 
that  she  had  graciously  informed  me  that  notwithstand 
ing  my  refusal  in  past  years  of  such  a  priceless  oppor 
tunity,  I  also  was  to  be  allowed  to  bathe  my  superannu 
ated  self  in  the  vital  fires,  though  in  what  guise  I  should 
emerge  from  them,  like  Herodotus  when  he  treats  of  the 
mysteries  of  old  Egypt,  if  she  knew,  she  did  not  think  it 
lawrful  to  reveal. 

Secretly  I  hoped  that  my  outward  man  might  change 
for  the  better,  as  the  prospect  of  being  fixed  for  ever  in 
the  shape  of  my  present  and  somewhat  unpleasing  per 
sonality,  did  not  appeal  to  me  as  attractive.  In  truth,  so 
far  as  I  was  concerned,  the  matter  had  an  academic  rather 
than  an  actual  interest,  such  as  we  take  in  a  fairy  tale, 
since  I  did  not  believe  that  I  should  ever  put  on  this  kind 
of  immortality.  Nor,  I  may  add,  now  as  before,  was  I 
at  all  certain  that  I  wished  to  do  so. 

These  plans  of  Ayesha's  were  far  reaching  and  indeed 
terrific.  Her  acquaintance  with  the  modern  world,  its 
political  and  social  developments,  was  still  strictly  lim 
ited;  for  if  she  had  the  power  to  follow  its  growth  and 
activities,  certainly  it  was  one  of  which  she  made  no  use. 


286  AYESHA 

In  practice  her  knowledge  seemed  to  be  confined  to  what 
she  had  gathered  during  the  few  brief  talks  which  took 
place  between  us  upon  this  subject  in  past  time  at  Kor. 
Now  her  thirst  for  information  proved  insatiable,  although 
it  is  true  that  ours  was  scarcely  up  to  date,  seeing  that 
ever  since  we  lost  touch  with  the  civilized  peoples, 
namely,  for  the  last  fifteen  years  or  so,  we  had  been  as 
much  buried  as  she  was  herself. 

Still  we  were  able  to  describe  to  her  the  condition  of 
the  nations  and  their  affairs  as  they  were  at  the  period 
when  we  bade  them  farewell,  and,  more  or  less  incor 
rectly,  to  draw  maps  of  the  various  countries  and  their 
boundaries,  over  which  she  pondered  long. 

The  Chinese  were  the  people  in  whom  she  proved  to 
be  most  interested,  perhaps  because  she  was  acquainted 
with  the  Mongolian  'type,  and  like  ourselves,  understood 
a  good  many  of  their  dialects.  Also  she  had  a  motive 
for  her  studies,  which  one  night  she  revealed  to  us  in  the 
most  matter-of-fact  fashion. 

Those  who  have  read  the  first  part  of  her  history,  which 
I  left  in  England  to  be  published,  may  remember  that 
when  we  found  her  at  Kor,  She  horrified  us  by  express 
ing  a  determination  to  possess  herself  of  Great  Britain, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  we  belonged  to  that  country. 
Now,  however,  like  her  powers,  her  ideas  had  grown,  for 
she  purposed  to  make  Leo  the  absolute  monarch  of  the 
world.  In  vain  did  he  assure  her  most  earnestly  that  he 
desired  no  such  empire.  She  merely  laughed  at  him  and 
said — 

"  If  I  arise  amidst  the  Peoples,  I  must  rule  the  Peoples, 
for  how  can  Ayesha  take  a  second  place  among  mortal 
men  ?  And  thou,  my  Leo,  rulest  me,  yes,  mark  the  truth,, 
thou  art  my  master !  Therefore  it  is  plain  that  thou  wilt 
be  the  master  of  this  earth,  aye,  and  perchance  of  others 
which  do  not  yet  appear,  for  of  these  also  I  know  some 
thing,  and,  I  think,  can  reach  them  if  I  will,  though  hith 
erto  I  have  had  no  mind  that  way.  My  true  life  has  not 


AYES  HAS   ALCHEMY  287 

yet  begun.  Its  little  space  within  this  world  has  been  filled 
with  thought  and  care  for  thee ;  in  waiting  till  thou  wast 
born  again,  and  during  these  last  years  of  separation, 
until  thou  didst  return. 

"  But  now  a  few  more  months,  and  the  days  of  prepara 
tion  past,  endowed  with  energy  eternal,  with  all  the  wis 
dom  of  the  ages,  and  with  a  strength  that  can  bend  the 
mountains  or  turn  the  ocean  from  its  bed,  and  we  begin  to 
be.  Oh !  how  I  sicken  for  that  hour  when  first,  like  twin 
stars  new  to  the  firmament  of  heaven,  we  break  in  our 
immortal  splendour  upon  the  astonished  sight  of  men. 
It  will  please  me,  I  tell  thee,  Leo,  it  will  please  me,  to  see 
Powers,  Principalities  and  Dominions,  marshalled  by  their 
kings  and  governors,  bow  themselves  before  our  thrones 
and  humbly  crave  the  liberty  to  do  our  will.  At  least," 
she  added,  "  it  will  please  me  for  a  little  time,  until  we 
seek  higher  things." 

So  she  spoke,  while  the  radiance  upon  her  brow  in 
creased  and  spread  itself,  gleaming  above  her  like  a 
golden  fan,  and  her  slumbrous  eyes  took  fire  from  it  till, 
to  my  thought,  they  became  glowing  mirrors  in  which  I 
saw  pomp  enthroned  and  suppliant  peoples  pass. 

"  And  how,"  asked  Leo,  with  something  like  a  groan — 
for  this  vision  of  universal  rule  viewed  from  afar  did 
not  seem  to  charm  him — "  how,  Ayesha,  wilt  thou  bring 
these  things  about  ?  " 

"How,  my  Leo?  Why,  easily  enough.  For  many 
nights  I  have  listened  to  the  wise  discourses  of  our  Holly 
here,  at  least  he  thinks  them  wise  who  still  has  so  much 
to  learn,  and  pored  over  his  crooked  maps,  comparing 
them  with  those  that  are  written  in  my  memory,  who  of 
late  have  had  no  time  for  the  study  of  such  little  mat 
ters.  Also  I  have  weighed  and  pondered  your  reports  of 
the  races  of  this  world ;  their  various  follies,  their  futile 
struggling  for  wealth  and  small  supremacies,  and  I  have 
determined  that  it  would  be  wise  and  kind  to  weld  them 
to  one  whole,  setting  ourselves  at  the  head  of  them  to 


288  AYESHA 

direct  their  destinies,  and  cause  wars,  sickness,  and  pov 
erty  to  cease,  so  that  these  creatures  of  a  little  day 
(ephemeridse  was  the  word  she  used)  may  live  happy 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 

"  Now,  were  it  not  because  of  thy  strange  shrinking 
from  bloodshed,  however  politic  and  needful — for  my 
Leo,  as  yet  thou  art  no  true  philosopher — this  were 
quickly  done,  since  I  can  command  a  weapon  which  would 
crush  their  armouries  and  whelm  their  navies  in  the  deep ; 
yes,  I,  whom  even  the  lightnings  and  Nature's  elemental 
powers  must  obey.  But  thou  shrinkest  from  the  sight  of 
death,  and  thou  believest  that  Heaven  would  be  dis 
pleased  because  I  make  myself — or  am  chosen — the  in 
strument  of  Heaven.  Well,  so  let  it  be,  for  thy  will  is 
mine,  and  therefore  we  will  tread  a  gentler  path." 

"  And  how  wilt  thou  persuade  the  kings  of  the  earth 
to  place  their  crowns  upon  thy  head  ?  "  I  asked,  aston 
ished. 

"  By  causing  their  peoples  to  offer  them  to  us,"  she 
answered  suavely.  "  Oh !  Holly,  Holly,  how  narrow  is 
thy  mind,  how  strained  the  quality  of  thine  imagination! 
Set  its  poor  gates  ajar,  I  pray,  and  bethink  thee.  When 
we  appear  among  men,  scattering  gold  to  satisfy  their 
want,  clad  in  terrifying  power,  in  dazzling  beauty  and  in 
immortality  of  days,  will  they  not  cry,  '  Be  ye  our  mon- 
archs  and  rule  over  us ! ' ' 

"  Perhaps,"  I  answered  dubiously,  "  but  where  wilt 
thou  appear  ? " 

She  took  a  map  of  the  eastern  hemisphere  which  I  had 
drawn  and,  placing  her  finger  upon  Pekin,  said — 

"  There  is  the  place  that  shall  be  our  home  for  some 
few  centuries,  say  three,  or  five,  or  seven,  should  it  take 
so  long  to  shape  this  people  to  my  liking  and  our  pur 
poses.  I  have  chosen  these  Chinese  because  thou  tellest 
me  that  their  numbers  are  uncountable,  that  they  are 
brave,  subtle,  and  patient,  and  though  now  powerless  be 
cause  ill-ruled  and  untaught,  able  with  their  multitudes 


AYESHA'S  ALCHEMY  289 

to  flood  the  little  western  nations.  Therefore  among 
them  we  will  begin  our  reign  and  for  some  few  ages  be 
at  rest  while  they  learn  wisdom  from  us,  and  thou,  my 
Holly,  makest  their  armies  unconquerable  and  givest  their 
land  good  government,  wealth,  peace,  and  a  new  re 
ligion." 

What  the  new  religion  was  to  be  I  did  not  ask.  It 
seemed  unnecessary,  since  I  was  convinced  that  in  prac 
tice  it  would  prove  a  form  of  Ayesha-worship.  Indeed, 
my  mind  was  so  occupied  with  conjectures,  some  of  them 
quaint  and  absurd  enough,  as  to  what  would  happen  at 
the  first  appearance  of  Ayesha  in  China  that  I  forgot  this 
subsidiary  development  of  our  future  rule. 

"  And  if  the  '  little  western  nations  '  will  not  wait  to  be 
flooded  ? "  suggested  Leo  with  irritation,  for  her  con 
temptuous  tone  angered  him,  one  of  a  prominent  western 
nation.  "  If  they  combine,  for  instance,  and  attack  thee 
first?" 

"  Ah !  "  she  said,  with  a  flash  of  her  eyes.  "  I  have 
thought  of  it,  and  for  my  part  hope  that  it  will  chance, 
since  then  thou  canst  not  blame  me  if  I  put  out  my 
strength.  Oh !  then  the  East,  that  has  slept  so  long,  shall 
awake — shall  awake,  and  upon  battlefield  after  battlefield 
such  as  history  cannot  tell  of,  thou  shalt  see  my  flaming 
standards  sweep  on  to  victory.  One  by  one  thou  shalt 
watch  the  nations  fall  and  perish,  until  at  length  I  build 
thy  throne  upon  the  hecatombs  of  their  countless  dead 
and  crown  thee  emperor  of  a  world  regenerate  in  blood 
and  fire." 

Leo,  whom  this  new  gospel  of  regeneration  seemed  to 
appall,  who  was,  in  fact,  a  hater  of  absolute  monarchies 
and  somewhat  republican  in  his  views  and  sympathies, 
continued  the  argument,  but  I  took  no  further  heed.  The 
thing  was  grotesque  in  its  tremendous  and  fantastic  ab 
surdity;  Ayesha's  ambitions  were  such  as  no  imperial- 
minded  madman  could  conceive. 

Yet — here  came  the  rub — I  had  not  the  slightest  doubt 


29o  AYESHA 

but  that  she  was  well  able  to  put, them  into  practice  and 
carry  them  to  some  marvellous  and  awful  conclusion. 
Why  not  ?  Death  could  not  touch  her ;  she  had  triumphed 
over  death.  Her  beauty — that  "  cup  of  madness  "  in  her 
eyes,  as  she  named  it  once  to  me — and  her  reckless  will 
would  compel  the  hosts  of  men  to  follow  her.  Her  pierc 
ing  intelligence  would  enable  her  to  invent  new  weapons 
with  which  the  most  highly-trained  army  could  not  possi 
bly  compete.  Indeed,  it  might  be  as  she  said,  and  as  I  for 
one  believed,  with  good  reason,  it  proved,  that  she  held 
at  her  command  the  elemental  forces  of  Nature,  such  as 
those  that  lie  hid  in  electricity,  which  would  give  all  living 
beings  to  her  for  a  prey. 

Ayesha  was  still  woman  enough  to  have  worldly  ambi 
tions,  and  the  most  dread  circumstance  about  her  super 
human  powers  was  that  they  appeared  to  be  unrestrained 
by  any  responsibility  to  God  or  man.  She  was,  as  we 
might  well  imagine  a  fallen  angel  to  be,  if  indeed,  as  she 
herself  once  hinted  and  as  Atene  and  the  old  Shaman 
believed,  this  were  not  her  true  place  in  creation.  By 
only  two  things  that  I  was  able  to  discover  could  she  be 
moved — her  love  for  Leo  and,  in  a  very  small  degree,  her 
friendship  for  myself. 

Yet  her  devouring  passion  for  this  one  man,  inexplica 
ble  in  its  endurance  and  intensity,  would,  I  felt  sure  even 
then,  in  the  future  as  in  the  past,  prove  to  be  her  heel 
of  Achilles.  When  Ayesha  was  dipped  in  the  waters  of 
Dominion  and  Deathlessness,  this  human  love  left  her 
heart  mortal,  that  through  it  she  might  be  rendered  harm 
less  as  a  child,  who  otherwise  would  have  devastated  the 
universe. 

I  was  right. 

Whilst  I  was  still  indulging  myself  in  these  reflections 
and  hoping  that  Ayesha  would  not  take  the  trouble  to  read 
them  in  my  mind,  I  became  aware  that  Oros  was  bowing 
to  the  earth  before  her. 


AYESHA'S  ALCHEMY  291 

"  Thy  business,  priest  ?  "  she  asked  sharply ;  for  when 
she  was  with  Leo  Ayesha  did  not  like  to  be  disturbed. 

"  Hes,  the  spies  are  returned." 

"  Why  didst  thou  send  them  out  ?  "  she  asked  indiffer 
ently.  "  What  need  have  I  of  thy  spies  ?  " 

"  Hes,  thou  didst  command  me." 

"Well,  their  report?" 

"  Hes,  it  is  most  grave.  The  people  of  Kaloon  are  des 
perate  because  of  the  drought  which  has  caused  their 
crops  to  fail,  so  that  starvation  stares  them  in  the  eyes, 
and  this  they  lay  to  the  charge  of  the  strangers  who  came 
into  their  land  and  fled  to  thee.  The  Khania  Atene  also 
is  mad  with  rage  against  thee  and  our  holy  College.  La 
bouring  night  and  day,  she  has  gathered  two  great  armies, 
one  of  forty,  and  one  of  twenty  thousand  men,  and  the 
latter  of  these  she  sends  against  the  Mountain  under  the 
command  of  her  uncle,  Simbri  the  Shaman.  In  case  it 
should  be  defeated  she  purposes  to  remain  with  the  sec 
ond  and  greater  army  on  the  plains  about  Kaloon." 

u  Tidings  indeed,"  said  Ayesha  with  a  scornful  laugh. 
"  Has  her  hate  made  this  woman  mad  that  she  dares  thus 
to  match  herself  against  me?  My  Holly,  it  crossed  thy 
mind  but  now  that  it  was  I  who  am  mad,  boasting  of  what 
I  have  no  power  to  perform.  Well,  within  six  days  thou 
shalt  learn — oh!  verily  thou  shalt  learn,  and,  though  the 
issue  be  so  very  small,  in  such'  a  fashion  that  thou  wilt 
doubt  no  more  for  ever.  Stay,  I  will  look,  though  the 
effort  of  it  wearies  me,  for  those  spies  may  be  but  victims 
to  their  own  fears,  or  to  the  falsehoods  of  Atene." 

Then  suddenly,  as  was  common  with  her  when  thus  Aye 
sha  threw  her  sight  afar,  which  either  from  indolence,  or 
because,  as  she  said,  it  exhausted  her,  she  did  but  rarely, 
her  lovely  face  grew  rigid  like  that  of  a  person  in  a 
trance ;  the  light  faded  from  her  brow,  and  the  great  pu 
pils  of  her  eyes  contracted  themselves  and  lost  their 
colour. 

In  a  little  while,  five  minutes  perhaps,  she  sighed  like 


292  'AYES 'HA 

one  awakening  from  a  deep  sleep,  passed  her  hand  across 
her  forehead  and  was  as  she  had  been,  though  somewhat 
languid,  as  though  strength  had  left  her. 

"  It  is  true  enough,"  she  said,  "  and  soon  I  must  be 
stirring  lest  many  of  my  people  should  be  killed.  My 
lord,  wouldst  thou  see  war?  Nay,  thou  shalt  bide  here 
in  safety  whilst  I  go  forward — to  visit  Atene  as  I  prom 
ised." 

"  Where  thou  goest,  I  go,"  said  Leo  angrily,  his  face 
flushing  to  the  roots  of  his  hair  with  shame. 

"  I  pray  thee  not,  I  pray  thee  not,"  she  answered,  yet 
without  venturing  to  forbid  him.  "  We  will  talk  of  it 
hereafter.  Oros,  away !  Send  round  the  Fire  of  Hes 
to  every  chief.  Three  nights  hence  at  the  moonrise  bid 
the  Tribes  gather — nay,  not  all,  twenty  thousand  of  their 
best  will  be  enough,  the  rest  shall  stay  to  guard  the 
Mountain  and  this  Sanctuary.  Let  them  bring  food  with 
them  for  fifteen  days.  I  join  them  at  the  following  dawn. 
Go." 

He  bowed  and  went,  whereon,  dismissing  the  matter 
from  her  mind,  Ayesha  began  to  question  me  again  about 
the  Chinese  and  their  customs. 

It  was  in  course  of  a  somewhat  similar  conversation 
on  the  following  night,  of  which,  however,  I  forget 
the  exact  details,  that  a  remark  of  Leo's  led  to  another 
exhibition  of  Ayesha's  marvellous  powers. 

Leo — who  had  been  considering  her  plans  for  conquest, 
and  again  combating  them  as  best  he  could,  for  they 
were  entirely  repugnant  to  his  religious,  social  and  politi 
cal  views — said  suddenly  that  after  all  they  must  break 
down,  since  they  would  involve  the  expenditure  of  sums 
of  money  so  vast  that  even  Ayesha  herself  would  be  un 
able  to  provide  them  by  any  known  methods  of  taxation. 
She  looked  at  him  and  laughed  a  little. 

"  Verily,  Leo,"  she  said,  "  to  thee,  yes ;  and  to  Holly 
here  I  must  seem  as  some  madcap  girl  blown  to  and  fro 


AYESHA'S  ALCHEMY  293 

by  every  wind  of  fancy,  and  building  me  a  palace  wherein 
to  dwell  out  of  dew  and  vapours,  or  from  the  substance 
of  the  sunset  fires.  Thinkest  thou  then  that  I  would  enter 
on  this  war — one  woman  against  all  the  world  " — and  as 
she  spoke  her  shape  grew  royal  and  in  her  awful  eyes 
there  came  a  look  that  chilled  my  blood — "  and  make 
no  preparation  for  its  necessities?  Why,  since  last  we 
spoke  upon  this  matter,  foreseeing  all,  I  have  considered 
in  my  mind,  and  now  thou  shalt  learn  how,  without  cost 
to  those  we  rule — and  for  that  reason  alone  shall  they 
love  us  dearly — I  will  glut  the  treasuries  of  the  Empress 
of  the  Earth. 

"  Dost  remember,  Leo,  how  in  Kor  I  found  but  a  single 
pleasure  during  all  those  weary  ages — that  of  forcing  my 
mother  Nature  one  by  one  to  yield  me  up  her  choicest  se 
crets  ;  I,  who  am  a  student  of  all  things  which  are  and  of 
the  forces  that  cause  them  to  be  born.  Now  follow  me, 
both  of  you,  and  ye  shall  look  on  what  mortal  eyes  have 
not  yet  beheld." 

"  What  are  we  to  see  ?  "  I  asked  doubtfully,  having  a 
lively  recollection  of  Ayesha's  powers  as  a  chemist. 

"  That  thou  shalt  learn,  or  shalt  not  learn  if  it  pleases 
thee  to  stay  behind.  Come,  Leo,  my  love,  my  love,  and 
leave  this  wise  philosopher  first  to  find  his  riddle  and  next 
to  guess  it." 

Then  turning  her  back  to  me  she  smiled  on  him  so 
-sweetly  that  although  really  he  was  more  loth  to  go  than 
I,  Leo  would  have  followed  her  through  a  furnace  door, 
as  indeed,  had  he  but  known  it,  he  was  about  to  do. 

So  they  started,  and  I  accompanied  them  since  with 
Ayesha  it  was  useless  to  indulge  in  any  foolish  pride,  or 
to  make  oneself  a  victim  to  consistency.  Also  I  was 
anxious  to  see  her  new  marvel,  and  did  not  care  to  rely 
for  an  account  of  it  upon  Leo's  descriptive  skill,  which  at 
its  best  was  never  more  than  moderate. 

She  took  us  down  passages  that  we  had  not  passed  be 
fore,  to  a  door  which  she  signed  to  Leo  to  open.  He 


294  rAYESHA 

obeyed,  and  from  the  cave  within  issued  a  flood  of  light. 
As  we  guessed  at  once,  the  place  was  her  laboratory,  for 
about  it  stood  metal  flasks  and  various  strange-shaped 
instruments.  Moreover,  there  was  a  furnace  in  it,  one  of 
the  best  conceivable,  for  it  needed  neither  fuel  nor  stoking, 
whose  gaseous  fires,  like  those  of  the  twisted  columns  in 
the  Sanctuary,  sprang  from  the  womb  of  the  volcano 
beneath  our  feet. 

When  we  entered  two  priests  were  at  work  there :  one 
of  them  stirring  a  cauldron  with  an  iron  rod  and  the 
other  receiving  its  molten  contents  into  a  mould  of  clay. 
They  stopped  to  salute  Ayesha,  but  she  bade  them  to  con 
tinue  their  task,  asking  them  if  all  went  well. 

"  Very  well,  O  Hes,"  they  answered ;  and  we  passed 
through  that  cave  and  sundry  doors  and  passages  to  a 
little  chamber  cut  in  the  rock.  There  was  no  lamp  or 
flame  of  fire  in  it,  and  yet  the  place  was  filled  with  a  gentle 
light  which  seemed  to  flow  from  the  opposing  wall. 

"What  were  those  priests  doing?"  I  said,  more  to 
break  the  silence  than  for  any  other  reason. 

"  Why  waste  breath  upon  foolish  questions  ?  "  she  re 
plied.  "  Are  no  metals  smelted  in  thy  country,  O  Holly  ? 
Now  hadst  thou  sought  to  know  what  I  am  doing — But 
.that,  without  seeing,  thou  wouldst  not  believe,  so,  Doubter, 
thou  shalt  see." 

Then  she  pointed  to  and  bade  us  don,  two  strange  gar 
ments  that  hung  upon  the  wall,  made  of  a  material  which 
seemed  to  be  half  cloth  and  half  wood  and  having  head 
pieces  not  unlike  a  diver's  helmet. 

So  under  her  directions  Leo  helped  me  into  mine,  lac 
ing  it  up  behind,  after  which,  or  so  I  gathered  from  the 
sounds — for  no  light  came  through  the  helmet — she  did 
the  same  service  for  him. 

"  I  seem  very  much  in  the  dark,"  I  said  presently ;  for 
now  there  was  silence  again,  and  beneath  this  extinguisher 
I  felt  alarmed  and  wished  to  be  sure  that  I  was  not  left 
alone. 


AYESHA'S  ALCHEMY  295 

"  Aye  Holly,"  I  heard  Ayesha's  mocking  voice  make 
answer,  "  in  the  dark,  as  thou  wast  ever,  the  thick  dark 
of  ignorance  and  unbelief.  Well,  now,  as  ever  also,  I  will 
give  thee  light."  As  she  spoke  I  heard  something  roll 
back ;  I  suppose  that  it  must  have  been  a  stone  door. 

Then,  indeed,  there  was  light,  yes,  even  through  the 
thicknesses  of  that  prepared  garment,  such  light  as  seemed 
to  blind  me.  By  it  I  saw  that  the  wall  opposite  to  us  had 
opened  and  that  we  were  all  three  of  us,  on  the  threshold 
of  another  chamber.  At  the  end  of  it  stood  something 
like  a  little  altar  of  hard,  black  stone,  and  on  this  altar 
lay  a  mass  of  substance  of  the  size  of  a  child's  head,  but 
fashioned,  I  suppose  from  fantasy,  to  the  oblong  shape  of 
a  human  eye. 

Out  of  this  eye  there  poured  that  blistering  and  in 
tolerable  light.  It  was  shut  round  by  thick,  funnel-shaped 
screens  of  a  material  that  looked  like  fire-brick,  yet  it 
pierced  them  as  though  they  were  but  muslin.  More,  the 
rays  thus  directed  upwards  struck  full  upon  a  lump  of 
metal  held  in  place  above  them  by  a  massive  frame-work. 

And  what  rays  they  were!  If  all  the  cut  diamonds  of 
the  world  were  brought  together  and  set  beneath  a  mighty 
burning-glass,  the  light  flashed  from  them  would  not 
have  been  a  thousandth  part  so  brilliant.  They  scorched 
my  eyes  and  caused  the  skin  of  my  face  and  limbs  to 
smart,  yet  Ayesha  stood  there  unshielded  from  them. 
Aye,  she  even  went  down  the  length  of  the  room  and, 
throwing  back  her  veil,  bent  over  them,  as  it  seemed  a 
woman  of  molten  steel  in  whose  body  the  bones  were  visi 
ble,  and  examined  the  mass  that  was  supported  by  the 
hanging  cradle. 

"  It  is  ready  and  somewhat  sooner  than  I  thought,"  she 
said.  Then  as  though  it  were  but  a  feather  weight,  she 
lifted  the  lump  in  her  bare  hands  and  glided  back  with  it 
to  where  we  stood,  laughing  and  saying — 

"  Tell  me  now,  O  thou  well-read  Holly,  if  thou  hast 
ever  heard  of  a  better  alchemist  than  this  poor  priestess 


296  AYESHA 

of  a  forgotten  faith  ?  "  And  she  thrust  the  glowing  sub 
stance  up  almost  to  the  mask  that  hid  my  face. 

Then  I  turned  and  ran,  or  rather  waddled,  for  in  that 
gear  I  could  not  run,  out  of  the  chamber  until  the  rock 
wall  beyond  stayed  me,  and  there,  with  my  back  towards 
her,  thrust  my  helmeted  head  against  it,  for  I  felt  as 
though  red-hot  bradawls  had  been  plunged  into  my  eyes. 
So  I  stood  while  she  laughed  and  mocked  behind  me  until 
at  length  I  heard  the  door  close  and  the  blessed  darkness 
came  like  a  gift  from  Heaven. 

Then  Ayesha  began  to  loose  Leo  from  his  ray-proof  ar 
mour,  if  so  it  can  be  called,  and  he  in  turn  loosed  me ;  and 
there  in  that  gentle  radiance  we  stood  blinking  at  each 
other  like  owls  in  the  sunlight,  while  the  tears  streamed 
down  our  faces. 

"  Well,  art  satisfied,  my  Holly  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Satisfied  with  what  ?  "  I  answered  angrily,  for  the 
smarting  of  my  eyes  was  unbearable.  "  Yes,  with  burn 
ings  and  bedevilments  I  am  well  satisfied." 

"  And  I  also,"  grumbled  Leo,  who  was  swearing  softly 
but  continuously  to  himself  in  the  other  corner  of  the 
place. 

But  Ayesha  only  laughed,  oh !  she  laughed  until  she 
seemed  the  goddess  of  all  merriment  come  to  earth, 
laughed  till  she  also  wept,  then  said — 

"  Why,  what  ingratitude  is  this  ?  Thou,  my  Leo,  didst 
wish  to  see  the  wonders  that  I  work,  and  thou,  O  Holly, 
didst  come  unbidden  after  I  bade  thee  stay  behind,  and 
now  both  of  you  are  rude  and  angry,  aye,  and  weeping 
like  a  child  with  a  burnt  finger.  Here  take  this,"  and  she 
gave  us  some  salve  that  stood  upon  a  shelf,  "  and  rub  it  on 
your  eyes  and  the  smart  will  pass  away." 

So  we  did,  and  the  pain  went  from  them,  though,  for 
hours  afterwards,  mine  remained  red  as  blood. 

"  And  what  are  these  wonders?  "  I  asked  her  presently. 
"  If  thou  meanest  that  unbearable  flame — 

"  Nay,  I  mean  what  is  born  of  the  flame,  as,  in  thine 


AYESHA'S   ALCHEMY  297 

ignorance  thou  dost  call  that  mighty  agent.  Look  now ;  " 
and  she  pointed  to  the  metallic  lump  she  had  brought 
with  her,  which,  still  gleaming  faintly,  lay  upon  the  floor. 
"  Nay,  it  has  no  heat.  Thinkest  thou  that  I  would  wish 
to  burn  my  tender  hands  and  so  make  them  unsightly? 
Touch  it,  Holly." 

But  I  would  not,  who  thought  to  myself  that  Ayesha 
might  be  well  accustomed  to  the  hottest  fires,  and  feared 
her  impish  mischief.  I  looked,  however,  long  and  ear 
nestly. 

"Well,  what  is  it,  Holly?" 

"  Gold,"  I  said,  then  corrected  myself  and  added,  "  Cop 
per,"  for  the  dull,  red  glow  might  have  been  that  of  either 
metal. 

"  Nay,  nay,"  she  answered,  "  it  is  gold,  pure  gold." 

"  The  ore  in  this  place  must  be  rich,"  said  Leo,  incred 
ulously,  for  I  would  not  speak  any  more. 

"  Yes,  my  Leo,  the  iron  ore  is  rich." 

"  Iron  ore  ?  "  and  he  looked  at  her. 

"  Surely,"  she  answered,  "  for  from  what  mine  do  men 
dig  out  gold  in  such  great  masses  ?  Iron  ore,  beloved,  that 
by  my  alchemy  I  change  to  gold,  which  soon  shall  serve  us 
in  our  need." 

Now  Leo  stared  and  I  groaned,  for  I  did  not  believe 
that  it  was  gold,  and  still  less  that  she  could  make  that 
metal.  Then,  reading  my  thought,  with  one  of  those  sud 
den  changes  of  mood  that  were  common  to  her,  Ayesha 
grew  very  angry. 

"  By  Nature's  self !  "  she  cried ;  "  wert  thou  not  my 
friend,  Holly,  the  fool  whom  it  pleases  me  to  cherish,  I 
would  bind  that  right  hand  of  thine  in  those  secret  rays 
till  the  very  bones  within  it  were  turned  to  gold.  Nay, 
why  should  I  be  vexed  with  thee,  who  art  both  blind  and 
deaf  ?  Yet  thou  shall  be  persuaded,"  and  leaving  us,  she 
passed  down  the  passages,  called  something  to  the  priests 
who  were  labouring  in  the  workshop,  then  returned  to  us. 

Presently  they  followed  her,  carrying  on  a  kind  of 


298  AYESHA 

stretcher  between  them  an  ingot  of  iron  ore  that  seemed 
to  be  as  much  as  they  could  lift. 

"  Now,"  she  said,  "  how  wilt  thou  that  I  mark  this 
mass  which  as  thou  must  admit  is  only  iron?  With  the 
sign  of  Life  ?  Good,"  and  at  her  bidding  the  priests  took 
cold-chisels  and  hammers  and  roughly  cut  upon  its  sur 
face  the  symbol  of  the  looped  cross — the  crux  ansata. 

"  It  is  not  enough,"  she  said  when  they  had  finished. 
"  Holly,  lend  me  that  knife  of  thine,  to-morrow  I  will  re 
turn  it  to  thee,  and  of  more  value." 

So  I  drew  my  hunting  knife,  an  Indian-made  thing, 
that  had  a  handle  of  plated  iron,  and  gave  it  her. 

"  Thou  knowest  the  marks  on  it,"  and  she  pointed  to 
various  dents  and  to  the  maker's  name  upon  the  blade ; 
for  though  the  hilt  was  Indian  work  the  steel  was  of  Shef 
field  manufacture. 

I  nodded.  Then  she  bade  the  priests  put  on  the  ray- 
proof  armour  that  we  had  discarded,  and  told  us  to  go 
without  the  chamber  and  lie  in  the  darkness  of  the  pas 
sage  with  our  faces  against  the  floor. 

This  we  did,  and  remained  so  until,  a  few  minutes 
later,  she  called  us  again.  We  rose  and  returned  into 
the  chamber  to  find  the  priests,  who  had  removed  the  pro 
tecting  garments,  gasping  and  rubbing  the  salve  upon 
their  eyes;  to  find  also  that  the  lump  of  iron  ore  and  my 
knife  were  gone.  Next  she  commanded  them  to  place 
the  block  of  gold-coloured  metal  upon  their  stretcher  and 
to  bring  it  with  them.  They  obeyed,  and  we  noted  that, 
although  those  priests  were  both  of  them  strong  men 
they  groaned  beneath  its  weight. 

"  How  came  it,"  said  Leo,  "  that  thou,  a  woman, 
couldst  carry  what  these  men  find  so  heavy  ?  " 

"  It  is  one  of  the  properties  of  that  force  which  thou 
callest  fire,"  she  answered  sweetly,  "  to  make  what  has 
been  exposed  to  it,  if  for  a  little  while  only,  as  light  as 
thistle-down.  Else,  how  could  I,  who  am  so  frail,  have 
borne  yonder  block  of  gold  ?  " 


AYESHA'S   ALCHEMY  299 

"  Quite  so  1     I  understand  now,"  answered  Leo. 

Well,  that  was  the  end  of  it.  The  lump  of  metal  was 
hid  away  in  a  kind  of  rock  pit,  with  an  iron  cover,  and  we 
returned  to  Ayesha's  apartments. 

"  So  all  wealth  is  thine,  as  well  as  all  power,"  said 
Leo,  presently,  for  remembering  Ayesha's  awful  threat 
I  scarcely  dared  to  open  my  mouth. 

"  It  seems  so,"  she  answered  wearily,  "  since  centuries 
ago  I  discovered  that  great  secret,  though  until  ye  came 
I  had  put  it  to  no  use.  Holly  here,  after  his  common 
fashion,  believes  that  this  is  magic,  but  I  tell  thee  again 
that  there  is  no  magic,  only  knowledge  which  I  have 
chanced  to  win." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Leo,  "  looked  at  in  the  right  way, 
that  is  in  thy  way,  the  thing  is  simple."  I  think  he  would 
have  liked  to  add,  "  as  lying,"  but  as  the  phrase  would 
have  involved  explanations,  did  not.  "  Yet,  Ayesha,"  he 
went  on,  "  hast  thou  thought  that  this  discovery  of  thine 
will  wreck  the  world  ?  " 

"  Leo,"  she  answered,  "  is  there  then  nothing  that  I 
can  do  which  will  not  wreck  this  world,  for  which  thou 
hast  such  tender  care,  who  shouldst  keep  all  thy  care — 
forme?" 

I  smiled,  but  remembering  in  time,  turned  the  smile 
into  a  frown  at  Leo,  then  fearing  lest  that  also  might 
anger  her,  made  my  countenance  as  blank  as  possible. 

"  If  so,"  she  continued,  "  well,  let  the  world  be 
wrecked.  But  what  meanest  thou  ?  Oh !  my  lord,  Leo, 
forgive  me  if  I  am  so  dull  that  I  cannot  always  follow 
thy  quick  thought — I  who  have  lived  these  many  years 
alone,  without  converse  with  nobler  minds,  or  even  those 
to  which  mine  own  is  equal." 

"  It  pleases  -thee  to  mock  me,"  said  Leo,  in  a  vexed 
voice,  "  and  that  is  not  too  brave." 

Now  Ayesha  turned  on  him-  fiercely,  and  I  looked 
towards  the  door.  But  he  did  not  shrink,  only  folded  his 


'AYESHA 

arms  and  stared  her  straight  in  the  face.  She  contem 
plated  him  a  little,  then  said — 

"  After  that  great  ordained  reason  which  thoti  dost  not 
know,  I  think,  Leo,  that  why  I  love  thee  so  madly  is 
that  thou  alone  art  not  afraid  of  me.  Not  like  Holly 
there,  who,  ever  since  I  threatened  to  turn  his  bones  to 
gold — which,  indeed,  I  was  minded  to  do,"  and  she 
laughed — "  trembles  at  my  footsteps  and  cowers  beneath 
my  softest  glance. 

"  Oh !  my  lord,  how  good  thou  art  to  me,  how  patient 
with  my  moods  and  woman's  weaknesses,"  and  she  made 
as  though  she  were  about  to  embrace  him.  Then  sud 
denly  remembering  herself,  with  a  little  start  that  some 
how  conveyed  more  than  the  most  tragic  gesture,  she 
pointed  to  the  couch  in  token  that  he  should  seat  him 
self.  When  he  had  done  so  she  drew  a  footstool  to  his 
feet  and  sank  upon  it,  looking  up  into  his  face  with  at 
tentive  eyes,  like  a  child  who  listens  for  a  story. 

"  Thy  reasons,  Leo,  give  me  thy  reasons.  Doubtless 
they  are  good,  and,  oh !  be  sure  I'll  weigh  them  well." 

"  Here  they  are  in  brief,"  he  answered.  "  The  world, 
as  thou  knewest  in  thy —  "  and  he  stopped. 

"  Thy  earlier  wanderings  there,"  she  suggested. 

"  Yes — thy  earlier  wanderings  there,  has  set  up  gold 
as  the  standard  of  its  wealth.  On  it  all  civilizations  are 
founded.  Make  it  as  common  as  it  seems  thou  canst,  and 
these  must  fall  to  pieces.  Credit  will  fail  and,  like  their 
savage  forefathers,  men  must  once  more  take  to  barter  to 
supply  their  needs  as  they  do  in  Kaloon  to-day." 

"Why  not?"  she  asked.  "It  would  be  more  simple 
and  bring  them  closer  to  the  time  when  they  were  good 
and  knew  not  luxury  and  greed." 

"  And  smashed  in  each  other's  heads  with  stone  axes," 
added  Leo. 

"  Who  now  pierce  each  other's  hearts  with  steel,  or 
those  leaden  missiles  of  which  thou  hast  told  me.  Oh! 
Leo,  when  the  nations  are  beggarded  and  their  golden 


AYESHA'S   ALCHEMY  301 

god  is  down ;  when  the  usurer  and  the  fat  merchant  trem 
ble  and  turn  white  as  chalk  because  their  hoards  are  but 
useless  dross ;  when  I  have  made  the  bankrupt  Exchanges 
of  the  world  my  mock,  and  laugh  across  the  ruin  of  its 
richest  markets,  why,  then,  will  not  true  worth  come  to 
its  heritage  again? 

"  What  of  it  if  I  do  discomfort  those  who  think  more 
of  pelf  than  of  courage  and  of  virtue ;  those  who,  as  that 
Hebrew  prophet  wrote,  lay  field  to  field  and  house  to 
house,  until  the  wretched  whom  they  have  robbed  find 
no  place  left  whereon  to  dwell  ?  What  if  I  proved  your 
sagest  chapmen  fools,  and  gorge  your  greedy  money 
changers  with  the  gold  that  they  desire  until  they  loathe 
its  very  sight  and  touch?  What  if  I  uphold  the  cause 
of  the  poor  and  the  oppressed  against  the  ravening  lusts 
of  Mammon?  Why,  will  not  this  world  of  yours  be 
happier  then  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  answered  Leo.  "  All  that  I  know  is 
that  it  would  be  a  different  world,  one  shaped  upon  a 
new  plan,  governed  by  untried  laws  and  seeking  other 
ends.  In  so  strange  a  place  who  can  say  what  might  or 
might  not  chance  ?  " 

"  That  we  shall  learn  in  its  season,  Leo.  Or,  rather,  if 
it  be  against  thy  wish,  we  will  not  turn  this  hidden  page. 
Since  thou  dost  desire  it,  that  old  evil,  the  love  of  lucre, 
shall  still  hold  its  mastery  upon  the  earth.  Let  the 
peoples  keep  their  yellow  king,  I'll  not  crown  another  in 
his  place,  as  I  was  minded — such  as  that  living  Strength 
thou  sawest  burning  eternally  but  now;  that  Power 
whereof  I  am  the  mistress,  which  can  give  health  to 
men,  or  even  change  the  character  of  metals,  and  in  truth, 
if  I  so  desire,  obedient  to  my  word,  destroy  a  city  or  rend 
this  Mountain  from  its  roots. 

"  But  see,  Holly  is  wearied  with  much  wondering  and 
needs  his  rest.  Oh,  Holly !  thou  wast  born  a  critic  of 
things  done,  not  a  doer  of  them.  I  know  thy  tribe  for 
even  in  my  day  the  colleges  of  Alexandria  echoed  with 


302  AYESHA 

their  wranglings  and  already  the  winds  blew  thick  witH 
the  dust  of  their  forgotten  bones.  Holly,  I  tell  thee  that 
at  times  those  who  create  and  act  are  impatient  of.  such 
petty  doubts  and  cavillings.  Yet  fear  not,  old  friend,  nor 
take  my  anger  ill.  Already  thy  heart  is  gold  without 
alloy,  so  what  need  have  I  to  gild  thy  bones  ?  " 

I  thanked  Ayesha  for  her  compliment,  and  went  to  my 
bed  wondering  which  was  real,  her  kindness  or  her  wrath, 
or  if  both  were  but  assumed.  Also  I  wondered  in  what 
way  she  had  fallen  foul  of  the  critics  of  Alexandria.  Per 
haps  once  she  had  published  a  poem  or  a  system  of  phi 
losophy  and  been  roughly  handled  by  them!  It  is  quite 
possible,  only  if  Ayesha  had  ever  written  poetry  I  think 
that  it  would  have  endured,  like  Sappho's. 

In  the  morning  I  discovered  that  whatever  else  about 
her  might  be  false,  Ayesha  was  a  true  chemist,  the  very 
greatest,  I  suppose,  who  ever  lived.  For  as  I  dressed  my 
self,  those  priests  whom  we  had  seen  in  the  laboratory, 
staggered  into  the  room  carrying  between  them  a  heavy 
burden,  that  was  covered  with  a  cloth,  and,  directed  by 
Oros,  placed  it  upon  the  floor. 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  I  asked  of  Oros. 

"  A  peace-offering  sent  by  the  Hesea,"  he  said,  "  with 
whom,  as  I  am  told,  you  dared  to  quarrel  yesterday." 

Then  he  withdrew  the  cloth,  and  there  beneath  it  shone 
that  great  lump  of  metal  which,  in  the  presence  of  my 
self  and  Leo,  had  been  marked  with  the  Symbol  of  Life, 
that  still  appeared  upon  its  surface.  Only  now  it  was 
gold,  not  iron,  gold  so  good  and  soft  that  I  could  write 
my  name  upon  it  with  a  nail.  My  knife  lay  with  it  also, 
and  of  that  too  the  handle,  though  not  the  blade,  had 
been  changed  from  iron  into  gold. 

Ayesha  asked  to  see  this  afterwards  and  was  but  ill- 
pleased  with  the  result  of  her  experiment.  She  pointed 
out  to  me  that  lines  and  blotches  of  gold  ran  for  an  inch 
or  more  down  the  substance  of  the  steel,  which  she  feared 


AYESHAS   ALCHEMY  303 

that  they  might  weaken  or  distemper,  whereas  it  had  been 
her  purpose  that  the  hilt  only  should  be  altered.1 

Often  since  that  time  I  have  marvelled  how  Ayesha 
performed  this  miracle,  and  from  what  substances  she 
gathered  or  compounded  the  lightning-like  material, 
which  was  her  servant  in  the  work ;  also,  whether  or  no  it 
had  been  impregnated  with  the  immortalizing  fire  of  Life 
that  burned  in  the  caves  of  Kor.2  Yet  to  this  hour  I 
have  found  no  answer  to  the  problem,  for  it  is  beyond  my 
guessing. 

I  suppose  that,  in  preparation  for  her  conquest  of  the 
inhabitants  of  this  globe — to  which,  indeed,  it  would 
have  sufficed  unaided  by  any  other  power — the  manufac 
ture  of  gold  from  iron  went  on  in  the  cave  unceasingly. 

However  this  may  be,  during  the  few  days  that  we  re 
mained  together  Ayesha  never  so  much  as  spoke  of  it 
again.  It  seemed  to  have  served  her  purpose  for  the 
while,  or  in  the  press  of  other  and  more  urgent  matters 

1  I  proved  in  after  days   how  real  were  Ayesha's  alchemy,  and  the 
knowledge  which  enabled  her  to  solve  the  secret  that  chemists  have 
hunted  for  in  vain,  and,  like  Nature's  self,  to  transmute  the  commonest 
into  the  most  precious  of  the  metals.     At  the  first  town  that  I  reached 
on  the  frontiers  of  India,  I  took  this  knife  to  a  jeweller,  a  native,  who- 
was  as  clever  as  he  proved  dishonest,  and  asked  him  to  test  the  handle. 
He  did  so  with  acids  and  by  other  means,  and  told  me  that  it  was  cf 
very  pure  gold,  twenty-four  carats,  I  think  he  said.     Also  he  pointed 
out  that  this  gold  became  gradually  merged  into  the  steel  of  the  blade 
in  a  way  which  was  quite  inexplicable  to  him,  and  asked  me  to  clear  up 
the  matter.     Of  course  I  could  not,  but  at  his  request  I  left  the  knife 
in  his  shop  to  give  him  an  opportunity  of  examining  it  further.     The 
next  day  I  was  taken  ill  with  one  of  the  heart-attacks  to  which  I  have 
been  liable  of  late,  and  when   I  became  able  to  move  about  again  a 
while  afterwards,    I   found   that   this   jeweller   had   gone,   none    knew 
whither.     So  had  my  knife. — L.  H.  H. 

2  Recent   discoveries  would  appear  to  suggest  that  this   mysterious 
"  Fire  of  Life,"  which,  whatever  else  it  may  have  been,  was  evidently  a 
force  and  no  true  fire,  since  it  did  not  burn,  owed  its  origin  to  the 
emanations  from  radium,  or  some  kindred  substance.     Although  in  the 
year  1885,   Mr.  "Holly  would   have   known    nothing  of   the  properties 
of  these  marvellous  rays  or  emanations,  doubtless  Ayesha  was  familiar 
with  them  and  their  enormous  possibilities,  of  which  our  chemists  and 
scientific  men  have,  at  present,  but  explored  the  fringe. — EDITOR. 


3o4  'AYESHA 

to  have  been  forgotten  or  thrust  from  her  mind.  Still, 
amongst  others,  of  which  I  have  said  nothing,  since  it  is 
necessary  to  select,  I  record  this  strange  incident,  and  our 
conversations  concerning  it  at  length,  for  the  reason  that 
it  made  a  great  impression  upon  me  and  furnishes  a 
striking  example  of  Ayesha's  dominion  over  the  hidden 
forces  of  Nature  whereof  we  were  soon  to  experience  a 
more  fearful  instance. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

THE   PROPHECY   OF   ATENE 

ON  the  day  following  this  strange  experience  of  the  iron 
that  was  turned  to  gold  some  great  service  was  held  in 
the  Sanctuary,  as  we  understood,  "  to  consecrate  the  war." 
We  did  not  attend  it,  but  that  night  we  ate  together  as 
usual.  Ayesha  was  moody  at  the  meal,  that  is,  she  varied 
from  sullenness  to  laughter. 

"  Know  you,"  she  said,  "  that  to-day  I  was  an  Oracle, 
and  those  fools  of  the  Mountain  sent  their  medicine-men 
to  ask  of  the  Hesea  how  the  battle  would  go  and  which 
of  them  would  be  slain,  and  which  gain  honour.  And  I 
— I  could  not  tell  them,  but  juggled  with  my  words,  so 
that  they  might  take  them  as  they  would.  How  the  battle 
will  go  I  know  well,  for  I  shall  direct  it,  but  the  future — 
ah !  that  I  cannot  read  better  than  thou  canst,  my  Holly, 
and  that  is  ill  indeed.  For  me  the  past  and  all  the  pres 
ent  lie  bathed  in  light  reflected  from  that  black  wall — 
the  future." 

Then  she  fell  to  brooding,  and  looking  up  at  length 
v/ith  an  air  of  entreaty,  said  to  Leo — 

'*'  Wilt  thou  not  hear  my  prayer  and  bide  where  thou 
art  for  some  few  days,  or  even  go  a-hunting?  Do  so, 
and  I  will  stay  with  thee,  and  send  Holly  and  Oros  to 
command  the  Tribes  in  this  petty  fray." 

"  I  will  not,"  answered  Leo,  trembling  with  indignation, 
for  this  plan  of  hers  that  I  should  be  sent  out  to  war, 
while  he  bided  in  safety  in  a  temple,  moved  him,  a  man 
brave  to  rashness,  who,  although  he  disapproved  of  it  in 
theory,  loved  fighting  for  its  own  sake  also,  to  absolute 
rage. 

305 


3o6  AYESHA 

"  I  say,  Ayesha,  that  I  will  not,"  he  repeated ;  "  more 
over,  that  if  thou  leavest  me  here  I  will  find  my  way  down 
the  mountain  alone,  and  join  the  battle." 

"  Then  come,"  she  answered,  "  and  on  thine  own  head 
be  it.  Nay,  not  on  thine  beloved,  on  mine,  on  mine." 

After  this,  by  some  strange  re-action,  she  became  like 
a  merry  girl,  laughing  more  than  I  have  ever  seen  her  do, 
and  telling  us  many  tales  of  the  far,  far  past,  but  none 
that  were  sad  or  tragic.  It  was  very  strange  to  sit  and 
listen  to  her  while  she  spoke  of  people,  one  or  two  of 
them  known  as  names  in  history  and  many  others  who 
never  have  been  heard  of,  that  had  trod  this  earth  and 
with  whom  she  was  familiar  over  two  thousand  years 
ago.  Yet  she  told  us  anecdotes  of  their  loves  and  hates, 
their  strength  or  weaknesses,  all  of  them  touched  writh 
some  tinge  of  humorous  satire,  or  illustrating  the  comic 
vanity  of  human  aims  and  aspirations. 

At  length  her  talk  took  a  deeper  and  more  personal 
note.  She  spoke  of  her  searchings  after  truth ;  of  how, 
aching  for  wisdom,  she  had  explored  the  religions  of  her 
day  and  refused  them  one  by  one;  of  how  she  had 
preached  in  Jerusalem  and  been  stoned  by  the  Doctors 
of  the  Law.  Of  how  also  she  had  wandered  back  to 
Arabia  and,  being  rejected  by  her  own  people  as  a  re 
former,  had  travelled  on  to  Egypt,  and  at  the  court  of  the 
Pharaoh  of  that  time  met  a  famous  magician,  half  char 
latan  and  half  seer  who,  because  she  was  far-seeing, 
'  clairvoyante '  we  should  call  it,  instructed  her  in  his  art 
so  well  that  soon  she  became  his  master  and  forced  him 
to  obey  her. 

Then,  as  though  she  were  unwilling  to  reveal  too 
much,  suddenly  Ayesha's  history  passed  from  Egypt  to 
Kor.  She  spoke  to  Leo  of  his  arrival  there,  a  wanderer 
who  was  named  Kallikrates,  hunted  by  savages  and  ac 
companied  by  the  Egyptian  Amenartas,  whom  she  ap 
peared  to  have  known  and  hated  in  her  own  country,  and 
of  how  she  entertained  them.  Yes,  she  even  told  of  a 


THE   PROPHECY    OF   ATENE  307 

supper  that  the  three  of  them  had  eaten  together  on  the 
evening  before  they  started  to  discover  the  Place  of  Life, 
and  of  an  evil  prophecy  that  this  royal  Amenartas  had 
made  as  to  the  issue  of  their  journey. 

"  Aye,"  Ayesha  said,  "  it  was  such  a  silent  night  as 
this  and  such  a  meal  as  this  we  ate,  and  Leo,  not  so 
greatly  changed,  save  that  he  was  beardless  then  and 
younger,  was  at  my  side.  Where  thou  sittest,  Holly,  sat 
the  royal  Amenartas,  a  very  fair  woman ;  yes,  even  more 
beautiful  than  I  before  I  dipped  me  in  the  Essence,  fore- 
sighted  also,  though  not  so  learned  as  I  had  grown. 
From  the  first  we  hated  each  other,  and  more  than  ever 
now,  when  she  guessed  how  I  had  learned  to  look  upon 
thee,  her  lover,  Leo ;  for  her  husband  thou  never  wast, 
who  didst  flee  too  fast  for  marriage.  She  knew  also 
that  the  struggle  between  us  which  had  begun  of  old  and 
afar  was  for  centuries  and  generations,  and  that  until  the 
end  should  declare  itself  neither  of  us  could  harm  the 
other,  who  both  had  sinned  to  win  thee,  that  wast  ap 
pointed  by  fate  to  be  the  lodestone  of  our  souls.  Then 
Amenartas  spoke  and  said — 

"  '  Lo !  to  my  sight,  Kallikrates,  the  wine  in  thy  cup 
is  turned  to  blood,  and  that  knife  in  thy  hand,  O  daughter 
of  Yarab  ' — for  so  she  named  me — '  drips  red  blood. 
Aye,  and  this  place  is  a  sepulchre,  and  thou,  O  Kalli 
krates,  sleepest  here,  nor  can  she,  thy  murderess,  kiss 
back  the  breath  of  life  into  those  cold  lips  of  thine.' 

"  So  indeed  it  came  about  as  was  ordained,"  added 
Ayesha  reflectively,  "  for  I  slew  thee  in  yonder  Place  of 
Life,  yes,  in  my  madness  I  slew  thee  because  thou  wouldst 
not  or  couldst  not  understand  the  change  that  had  come 
over  me,  and  shrankest  from  my  loveliness  like  a  blind 
bat  from  the  splendour  of  flame,  hiding  thy  face  in  the 
tresses  of  her  dusky  hair — Why,  what  is  it  now,  thou 
Oros  ?  Can  I  never  be  rid  of  thee  for  an  hour  ?  " 

"  O  Hes,  a  writing  from  the  Khania  Atene,"  the  priest 
said  with  his  deprecating  bow. 


3o8  'AYES  HA 

"  Break  the  seal  and  read,"  she  answered  carelessly. 
"  Perchance  she  has  repented  of  her  folly  and  makes 
submission." 

So  he  read — 

"  To  the  Hesea  of  the  College  on  the  Mountain,  known 
as  Ayesha  upon  earth,  and  in  the  household  of  the 
Over-world  whence  she  has  been  permitted  to  wander,  as 
'  Star-that-hath-fallen— ' " 

"  A  pretty  sounding  name,  forsooth,"  broke  in  Ayesha ; 
"  ah !  but,  Atene,  set  stars  rise  again — even  from  the  Un 
der-world.  Read  on,  thou  Oros." 

"  Greetings,  O  Ayesha.  Thou  who  art  very  old,  hast 
gathered  much  wisdom  in  the  passing  of  the  centuries, 
and  with  other  powers,  that  of  making  thyself  seem  fair 
in  the  eyes  of  men  blinded  by  thine  arts.  Yet  one  thing 
thou  lackest  that  I  have — vision  of  those  happenings 
which  are  not  yet.  Know,  O  Ayesha,  that  I  and  my 
uncle,  the  great  seer,  have  searched  the  heavenly  books 
to  learn  what  is  written  there  of  the  issue  of  this  war. 

"  This  is  written : — For  me,  death,  whereat  I  rejoice. 
For  thee  a  spear  cast  by  thine  own  hand.  For  the  land 
of  Kaloon  blood  and  ruin  bred  of  thee ! 

"  ATENE, 

"  Khania  of  Kaloon." 

Ayesha  listened  in  silence,  but  her  lips  did  not  tremble, 
nor  her  cheek  pale.  To  Oros  she  said  proudly— 

"  Say  to  the  messenger  of  Atene  that  I  have  received 
her  message,  and  ere  long  will  answer  it,  face  to  face 
with  her  in  her  palace  of  Kaloon.  Go,  priest,  and  disturb 
me  no  more." 

When  Oros  had  departed  she  turned  to  us  and  said— 

"  That  tale  of  mine  of  long  ago  was  well  fitted  to  this 
hour,  for  as  Amenartas  prophesied  of  ill,  so  does  Atene 


THE   PROPHECY    OF   ATENE  309 

prophesy  of  ill,  and  Amenartas  and  Atene  are  one.  Well, 
let  the  spear  fall,  if  fall  it  must,  and  I  will  not  flinch 
from  it  who  know  that  I  shall  surely  triumph  at  the  last. 
Perhaps  the  Khania  does  but  think  to  frighten  me  with 
a  cunning  lie,  but  if  she  has  read  aright,  then  be  sure, 
beloved,  that  it  is  still  well  with  us,  since  none  can  escape 
their  destiny,  nor  can  our  bond  of  union  which  was 
fashioned  with  the  universe  that  bears  us,  ever  be 
undone." 

She  paused  awhile  then  went  on  with  a  sudden  out 
burst  of  poetic  thought  and  imagery. 

"  I  tell  thee,  Leo,  that  out  of  the  confusions  of  our 
lives  and  deaths  order  shall  yet  be  born.  Behind  the 
mask  of  cruelty  shine  Mercy's  tender  eyes;  and  the 
wrongs  of  this  rough  and  twisted  world  are  but  hot, 
blinding  sparks  which  stream  from  the  all-righting  sword 
of  pure,  eternal  Justice.  The  heavy  lives  we  see  and 
know  are  only  links  in  a  golden  chain  that  shall  draw 
us  safe  to  the  haven  of  our  rest ;  steep  and  painful  steps 
are  they  whereby  we  climb  to  the  alloted  palace  of  our 
joy.  Henceforth  I  fear  no  more,  and  fight  no  more 
against  that  which  must  befall.  For  I  say  we  are  but 
winged  seeds  blown  down  the  gales  of  fate  and  change 
to  the  appointed  garden  where  we  shall  grow,  filling  its 
blest  air  with  the  immortal  fragrance  of  our  bloom. 

"  Leave  me  now,  Leo,  and  sleep  awhile,  for  we  ride  at 
dawn." 

It  was  midday  on  the  morrow  when  we  moved  down 
the  mountain-side  with  the  army  of  the  Tribes,  fierce 
and  savage-looking  men.  The  scouts  were  out  before  us, 
then  came  the  great  body  of  their  cavalry  mounted  on 
wiry  horses,  while  to  right  and  left  and  behind,  the  foot 
soldiers  marched  in  regiments,  each  under  the  command 
of  its  own  chief. 

Ayesha,  veiled  now — for  she  would  not  show  her 
beauty  to  these  wild  folk — rode  in  the  midst  of  the  horse- 


310  A  YES  HA 

men  on  a  white  mare  of  matchless  speed  and  shape.  With 
her  went  Leo  and  myself,  Leo  on  the  Khan's  black  horse, 
and  I  on  another  not  unlike  it,  though  thicker  built. 
About  us  were  a  bodyguard  of  armed  priests  and  a  regi 
ment  of  chosen  soldiers,  among  them  those  hunters  that 
Leo  had  saved  from  Ayesha's  wrath,  and  who  were  now 
attached  to  his  person. 

We  were  merry,  all  of  us,  for  in  the  crisp  air  of  late 
autumn  flooded  with  sunlight,  the  fears  and  forebodings 
that  had  haunted  us  in  those  gloomy,  firelit  caves  were 
forgotten.  Moreover,  the  tramp  of  thousands  of  armed 
men  and  the  excitement  of  coming  battle  thrilled  our 
nerves. 

Not  for  many  a  day  had  I  seen  Leo  look  so  vigorous 
and  happy.  Of  late  he  had  grown  somewhat  thin  and 
pale,  probably  from  causes  that  I  have  suggested,  but 
now  his  cheeks  were  red  and  his  eyes  shone  bright  again. 
Ayesha  also  seemed  joyous,  for  the  moods  of  this  strange 
woman  were  as  fickle  as  those  of  Nature's  self,  and  va 
ried  as  a  landscape  varies  under  the  sunshine  or  the 
shadow.  Now  she  was  noon  and  now  dark  night;  now 
dawn,  now  evening,  and  now  thoughts  came  and  went 
in  the  blue  depths  of  her  eyes  like  vapours  wafted  across 
the  summer  sky,  and  in  the  press  of  them  her  sweet  face 
changed  and  shimmered  as  broken  water  shimmers  be 
neath  the  beaming  stars. 

"  Too  long,"  she  said,  with  a  little  thrilling  laugh, 
"  have  I  been  shut  in  the  bowels  of  sombre  mountains, 
cpmpanied  only  by  mutes  and  savages  or  by  melancholy, 
chanting  priests,  and  now  I  am  glad  to  look  upon  the 
world  again.  How  beautiful  are  the  snows  above,  and 
the  brown  slopes  below,  and  the  broad  plains  beyond 
that  roll  away  to  those  bordering  hills !  How  glorious  is 
the  sun,  eternal  as  myself;  how  sweet  the  keen  air  of 
heaven. 

"  Believe  me,  Leo,  more  than  twenty  centuries  have 
.gone  by  since  I  was  seated  on  a  steed,  and  yet  thou  seest 


THE   PROPHECY    OF   ATENE  311 

I  have  not  forgot  my  horsemanship,  though  this  beast 
cannot  match  those  arabs  that  I  rode  in  the  wide  deserts 
of  Arabia.  Oh !  I  remember  how  at  my  father's  side  I 
galloped  down  to  war  against  the  marauding  Bedouins, 
and  how  with  my  own  hand  I  speared  their  chieftain  and 
made  him  cry  for  mercy.  One  day  I  will  tell  thee  of 
that  father  of  mine,  for  I  was  his  darling,  and  though  we 
have  been  long  apart,  I  hold  his  memory  dear  and  look 
forward  to  our  meeting. 

"  See,  yonder  is  the  mouth  of  that  gorge  where  lived 
the  cat-worshipping  sorcerer,  who  would  have  murdered 
both  of  you  because  thou,  Leo,  didst  throw  his  familiar 
to  the  fire.  It  is  strange,  but  several  of  the  tribes  of  this 
Mountain  and  of  the  lands  behind  it  make  cats  their 
gods  or  divine  by  means  of  them.  I  think  that  the  first 
Rassen,  the  general  of  Alexander,  must  have  brought 
the  practice  here  from  Egypt.  Of  this  Macedonian  Alex 
ander  I  could  tell  thee  much,  for  he  was  almost  a  con 
temporary  of  mine,  and  when  I  last  was  born  the  world 
still  rang  with  the  fame  of  his  great  deeds. 

"  It  was  Rassen  who  on  the  Mountain  supplanted  the 
primeval  fire-worship  whereof  the  flaming  pillars  which 
light  its  Sanctuary  remain  as  monuments,  by  that  of  Hes, 
or  Isis,  or  rather  blended  the  two  in  one.  Doubtless 
among  the  priests  in  his  army  were  some  of  Pasht  or 
Sekket  the  Cat-headed,  and  these  brought  with  them  their 
secret  cult,  that  to-day  has  dwindled  down  to  the  vulgar 
divinations  of  savage  sorcerers.  Indeed  I  remember 
dimly  that  it  was  so,  for  I  was  the  first  Hesea  of  this 
Temple,  and  journeyed  hither  with  that  same  general 
Rassen,  a  relative  of  mine." 

Now  both  Leo  and  I  looked  at  her  wonderingly,  and  I 
could  see  that  she  was  watching  us  through  her  veil. 
As  usual,  hc-wever,  it  was  I  whom  she  reproved,  since 
Leo  might  think  and  do  what  he  willed  and  still  escape 
her  anger. 

"  Thou,  Holly,"  she  said  quickly,  "  who  art  ever  of  a 


3i2  A  YES  HA 

cavilling  and  suspicious  mind,  remembering  what  I  said 
but  now,  believest  that  I  lie  to  thee." 

I  protested  that  I  was  only  reflecting  upon  an  apparent 
variation  between  two  statements. 

"  Play  not  with  words,"  she  answered ;  "  in  thy  heart 
thou  didst  write  me  down  a  liar,  and  I  take  that  ill. 
Know,  foolish  man,  that  when  I  said  that  the  Macedonian 
Alexander  lived  before  me,  I  meant  before  this  present 
life  of  mine.  In  the  existence  that  preceded  it,  though 
I  outlasted  him  by  thirty  years,  we  were  born  in  the 
same  summer,  and  I  knew  him  well,  for  I  was  the  Oracle 
whom  he  consulted  most  upon  his  wars,  and  to  my  wis 
dom  he  owed  his  victories.  Afterwards  we  quarrelled, 
and  I  left  him  and  pushed  forward  with  Rassen.  From 
that  day  the  bright  star  of  Alexander  began  to  wane." 

At  this  Leo  made  a  sound  that  resembled  a  whistle. 
In  a  very  agony  of  apprehension,  beating  back  the  criti 
cism's  and  certain  recollections  of  the  strange  tale  of  the 
old  abbot,  Kou-en,  which  would  rise  within  me,  I  asked 
quickly — 

"  And  dost  thou,  Ayesha,  remember  well  all  that  befel 
thee  in  this  former  life  ?  " 

"  Nay,  not  well,"  she  answered,  meditatively,  "  only 
the  greater  facts,  and  those  I  have  for  the  most  part  re 
covered  by  that  study  of  secret  things  which  thou  callest 
vision  or  magic.  For  instance,  my  Holly,  I  recall  that 
thou  wast  living  in  that  life.  Indeed  I  seem  to  see  an 
ugly  philosopher  clad  in  a  dirty  robe  and  filled  both  with 
wine  and  the  learning  of  others,  who  disputed  with  Alex 
ander  till  he  grew  wroth  with  him  and  caused  him  to  be 
banished,  or  drowned :  I  forget  which." 

"  I  suppose  that  I  was  not  called  Diogenes  ?  "  I  asked 
tartly,  suspecting,  perhaps  not  without  cause,  that  Aye 
sha  was  amusing  herself  by  fooling  me. 

"  No,"  she  replied  gravely,  "  I  do  not  think  that  was 
thy  name.  The  Diogenes  thou  speakest  of  was  a  much 
more  famous  man,  one  of  real  if  crabbed  wisdom ;  more- 


THE   PROPHECY    OF   ATENE  313 

over,  he  did  not  indulge  in  wine.  I  am  mindful  of  very 
little  of  that  life,  however,  not  of  more  indeed  than  are 
many  of  the  followers  of  the  prophet  Buddha,  whose 
doctrines  I  have  studied  and  of  whom  thou,  Holly, 
hast  spoken  to  me  so  much.  Maybe  we  did  not  meet 
while  it  endured.  Still  I  recollect  that  the  Valley  of 
Bones,  where  I  found  thee,  my  Leo,  was  the  place  where 
a  great  battle  was  fought  between  the  Fire-priests  with 
their  vassals,  the  Tribes  of  the  Mountain  and  the  army 
of  Rassen  aided  by  the  people  of  Kaloon.  For  between 
these  and  the  Mountain,  in  old  days  as  now,  there  was 
enmity,  since  in  this  present  war  history  does  but  re 
write  itself." 

"  So  thou  thyself  wast  our  guide,"  said  Leo,  looking  at 
her  sharply. 

"  Aye,  Leo,  who  else  ?  though  it  is  not  wonderful  that 
thou  didst  not  know  me  beneath  those  deathly  wrappings. 
I  was  minded  to  wait  and  receive  thee  in  the  Sanctuary, 
yet  when  I  learned  that  at  length  both  of  you  had  escaped 
Atene  and  drew  near,  I  eould  restrain  myself  no  more, 
but  came  forth  thus  hideously  disguised.  Yes,  I  was 
with  you  even  at  the  river's  bank,  and  though  you  saw 
me  not,  there  sheltered  you  from  harm. 

"  Leo,  I  yearned  to  look  upon  thee  and  to  be  certain 
that  thy  heart  had  not  changed,  although  until  the  al- 
loted  time  thou  mightest  not  hear  my  voice  or  see  my 
face  who  wert  doomed  to  undergo  that  sore  trial  of  thy 
faith.  Of  Holly  also  I  desired  to  learn  whether  his  wis 
dom  could  pierce  through  my  disguise,  and  how  near  he 
stood  to  truth.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  I  suffered 
him  to  see  me  draw  the  lock  from  the  satchel  on  thy 
breast  and  to  hear  me  wail  over  thee  yonder  in  the  Rest- 
house.  Well  he  did  not  guess  so  ill,  but  thou,  thou  knew- 
est  me — in  thy  sleep — knewest  me  as  I  am,  and  not  as 
I  seemed  to  be,  yes,"  she  added  softly,  "  and  didst  say 
certain  sweet  words  which  I  remember  well." 

"  Then  beneath  that  shroud  was  thine  own  face,"  asked 


314  A  YES  HA 

Leo  again,  for  he  was  very  curious  on  this  point,  "  the 
same  lovely  face  I  see  to-day  ?  " 

"  Mayhap — as  thou  wilt,"  she  answered  coldly ;  "  also 
it  is  the  spirit  that  matters,  not  the  outward  seeming, 
though  men  in  their  blindness  think  otherwise.  Per 
chance  my  face  is  but  as  thy  heart  fashions  it,  or  as  my 
will  presents  it  to  the  sight  and  fancy  of  its  beholders. 
But  hark !  The  scouts  have  touched." 

As  Ayesha  spoke  a  sound  of  distant  shouting  was  borne 
upon  the  wind,  and  presently  we  saw  a  fringe  of  horse 
men  falling  back  slowly  upon  our  foremost  line.  It  was 
only  to  report,  however,  that  the  skirmishers  of  Atene 
were  in  full  retreat.  Indeed,  a  prisoner  whom  they 
brought  with  them,  on  being  questioned  by  the  priests, 
confessed  at  once  that  the  Khania  had  no  mind  to  meet 
us  upon  the  holy  Mountain.  She  proposed  to  give  battle 
on  the  river's  farther  bank,  having  for  a  defence  its  wa 
ters  which  we  must  ford,  a  decision  that  showed  good 
military  judgment. 

So  it  happened  that  on  this  day  there  was  no  fighting. 

All  that  afternoon  we  descended  the  slopes  of  the 
Mountain,  more  swiftly  by  far  than  we  had  climbed 
them  after  our  long  flight  from  the  city  of  Kaloon.  Be 
fore  sunset  we  came  to  our  prepared  camping  ground,  a 
wide  and  sloping  plain  that  ended  at  the  crest  of  the 
Valley  of  Dead  Bones,  where  in  past  days  we  had  met 
our  mysterious  guide.  This,  however,  we  did  not  reach 
through  the  secret  mountain  tunnel  along  which  she  had 
led  us,  the  shortest  way  by  miles,  as  Ayesha  told  us  now, 
since  it  was  unsuited  to  the  passage  of  an  army. 

Bending  to  the  left,  we  circled  round  a  number  of  un- 
climbable  koppies,  beneath  which  that  tunnel  passed,  and 
so  at  length  arrived  upon  the  brow  of  the  dark  ravine 
where  we  could  sleep  safe  from  attack  by  night. 

Here  a  tent  was  pitched  for  Ayesha,  but  as  it  was  the 
only  one,  Leo  and  I  with  our  guard  bivouacked  among 
some  rocks  at  a  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards.  When 


THE   PROPHECY    OF   ATENE  315 

she  found  that  this  must  be  so,  Ayesha  was  very  angry 
and  spoke  bitter  words  to  the  chief  who  had  charge  of 
the  food  and  baggage,  although,  he,  poor  man,  knew 
nothing  of  tents. 

Also  she  blamed  Oros,  who  replied  meekly  that  he  had 
thought  us  captains  accustomed  to  war  and  its  hardships. 
But  most  of  all  she  was  angry  with  herself,  who  had  for 
gotten  this  detail,  and  until  Leo  stopped  her  with  a  laugh 
of  vexation,  went  on  to  suggest  that  we  should  sleep  in 
the  tent,  since  she  had  no  fear  of  the  rigours  of  the  moun 
tain  cold. 

The  end  of  it  was  that  we  supped  together  outside,  or 
rather  Leo  and  I  supped,  for  as  there  were  guards  around 
us  Ayesha  did  not  even  lift  her  veil. 

That  evening  Ayesha  was  disturbed  and  ill  at  ease,  as 
though  new  fears  which  she  could  not  overcome  assailed 
her.  At  length  she  seemed  to  conquer  them  by  some 
effort  of  her  will  and  announced  that  she  was  minded  to 
sleep  and  thus  refresh  her  soul;  the  only  part  of  her,  I 
think,  which  ever  needed  rest.  Her  last  words  to  us 
were — 

"  Sleep  you  also,  sleep  sound,  but  be  not  astonished, 
my  Leo,  if  I  send  to  summon  both  of  you  during  the 
night,  since  in  my  slumbers  I  may  find  new  counsels  and 
need  to  speak  of  them  to  thee  ere  we  break  camp  at 
dawn." 

Thus  we  parted,  but  ah!  little  did  we  guess  how  and 
where  the  three  of  us  would  meet  again. 

We  were  weary  and  soon  fell  fast  asleep  beside  our 
camp-fire,  for,  knowing  that  the  whole  army  guarded  us, 
we  had  no  fear.  I  remember  watching  the  bright  stars 
which  shone  in  the  immense  vault  above  me  until  they 
paled  in  the  pure  light  of  the  risen  moon,  now  somewhat 
past  her  full,  and  hearing  Leo  mutter  drowsily  from  be 
neath  his  fur  rug  that  Ayesha  was  quite  right,  and  that 
it  was  pleasant  to  be  in  the  open  air  again,  as  he  was  tired' 
of  caves. 


316  A  YES  HA 

After  that  I  knew  no  more  until  I  was  awakened  by 
the  challenge  of  a  sentry  in  the  distance;  then  after  a 
pause,  a  second  challenge  from  the  officer  of  our  own 
guard.  Another  pause,  and  a  priest  stood  bowing  before 
us,  the  flickering  light  from  the  fire  playing  upon  his 
shaven  head  and  face,  which  I  seemed  to  recognize. 

"  I  " — and  he  gave  a  name  that  was  familiar  to  me,  but 
which  I  forget — "  am  sent,  my  lords,  by  Oros,  who  com 
mands  me  to  say  that  the  Hesea  would  speak  with  you 
both  and  at  once." 

Now  Leo  sat  up  yawning  and  asked  what  was  the 
matter.  I  told  him,  whereon  he  said  he  wished  that  Aye- 
sha  could  have  waited  till  daylight,  then  added — 

"  Well,  there  is  no  help  for  it.  Come  on,  Horace,"  and 
he  rose  to  follow  the  messenger. 

The  priest  bowed  again  and  said — 

"  The  commands  of  the  Hesea  are  that  my  lords  should 
bring  their  weapons  and  their  guard." 

"  What,"  grumbled  Leo,  "  to  protect  us  for  a  walk  of  a 
hundred  yards  through  the  heart  of  an  army  ?  " 

"The  Hesea,"  explained  the  man,  "has  left  her  tent; 
she  is  in  the  gorge  yonder,  studying  the  line  of  advance." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  do  not  know  it,"  he  replied.  "  Oros  told  me  so, 
that  is  all,  and  therefore  the  Hesea  bade  my  lords  bring 
their  guard,  for  she  is  alone." 

"Is  she  mad,"  ejaculated  Leo,  "to  wander  about  in 
such  a  place  at  midnight  ?  Well,  it  is  like  her." 

I  too  thought  it  was  like  her,  who  did  nothing  that 
others  would  have  done,  and  yet  I  hesitated.  Then  I  re 
membered  that  Ayesha  had  said  she  might  send  for  us; 
also  I  was  sure  that  if  any  trick  had  been  intended  we 
should  not  have  been  warned  to  bring  an  escort.  So  we 
called  the  guard — there  were  twelve  of  them — took  our 
spears  and  swords  and  started. 

We  were  challenged  by  both  the  first  and  second  lines 
of  sentries,  and  I  noticed  that  as  we  gave  them  the  pass- 


THE   PROPHECY    OF   ATENE  317 

word  the  last  picket,  who  of  course  recognized  us,  looked 
astonished.  Still,  if  they  had  doubts  they  did  not  dare  to 
express  them.  So  we  went  on. 

Now  we  began  to  descend  the  sides  of  the  ravine  by  a 
very  steep  path,  with  which  the  priest,  our  guide,  seemed 
to  be  curiously  familiar,  for  he  went  down  it  as  though 
it  were  the  stairway  of  his  own  house. 

"  A  strange  place  to  take  us  to  at  night,"  said  Leo 
doubtfully,  when  we  were  near  the  bottom  and  the  chief 
of  the  bodyguard,  that  great  red-bearded  hunter  who 
had  been  mixed  up  in  the  matter  of  the  snow-leopard 
also  muttered  some  words  of  remonstrance.  Whilst  I 
was  trying  to  catch  what  he  said,  of  a  sudden  something 
white  walked  into  the  patch  of  moonlight  at  the  foot  of  the 
ravine,  and  we  saw  that  it  was  the  veiled  figure  of  Aye- 
sha  herself.  The  chief  saw  her  also  and  said  content 
edly— 

"HeslHes!" 

"  Look  at  her,"  grumbled  Leo,  "  strolling  about  in  that 
haunted  hole  as  though  it  were  Hyde  Park ;  "  and  on  he 
went  at  a  run. 

The  figure  turned  and  beckoned  to  us  to  follow  her  as 
she  glided  forward,  picking  her  way  through  the  skele 
tons  which  were  scattered  about  upon  the  lava  bed  of  the 
cleft.  Thus  she  went  on  into  the  shadow  of  the  oppos 
ing  cliff  that  the  moonlight  did  not  reach.  Here  in  the 
wet  season  a  stream  trickled  down  a  path  which  it 
had  cut  through  the  rock  in  the  course  of  centuries,  and 
the  grit  that  it  had  brought  with  it  was  spread  about  the 
lava  floor  of  the  ravine,  so  that  many  of  the  bones  were 
almost  completely  buried  in  the  sand. 

These,  I  noticed,  as  we  stepped  into  the  shadow,  were 
more  numerous  than  usual  just  here,  for  on  all  sides  I 
saw  the  white  crowns  of  skulls,  or  the  projecting  ends  of 
ribs  and  thigh  bones.  Doubtless,  I  thought  to  myself, 
that  streamway  made  a  road  to  the  plain  above,  and  in 
some  past  battle,  the  fighting  around  it  was  very  fierce 
and  the  slaughter  great. 


3i  8  AYES  HA 

Here  Ayesha  had  halted  and  was  engaged  in  the  con 
templation  of  this  boulder-strewn  path,  as  though  she 
meditated  making  use  of  it  that  day.  Now  we  drew 
near  to  her,  and  the  priest  who  guided  us  fell  back  with 
our  guard,  leaving  us  to  go  forward  alone,  since  they 
dared  not  approach  the  Hesea  unbidden.  Leo  was  some 
what  in  advance  of  me,  seven  or  eight  yards  perhaps,  and 
I  heard  him  say — 

"  Why  dost  thou  venture  into  such  places  at  night, 
Ayesha,  unless  indeed  it  is  not  possible  for  any  harm  to 
come  to  thee  ?  " 

She  made  no  answer,  only  turned  and  opened  her  arms 
wide,  then  let  them  fall  to  her  side  again.  Whilst  I 
wondered  what  this  signal  of  hers  might  mean,  from 
the  shadows  about  us  came  a  strange,  rustling  sound. 

I  looked,  and  lo!  everywhere  the  skeletons  were  rising 
from  their  sandy  beds.  I  saw  their  white  skulls,  their 
gleaming  arm  and  leg  bones,  their  hollow  ribs.  The  long- 
slain  army  had  come  to  life  again,  and  look!  in  their 
hands  were  the  ghosts  of  spears. 

Of  course  I  knew  at  once  that  this  was  but  another 
manifestation  of ,  Ayesha's  magic  powers,  which  some 
whim  of  hers  had  drawn  us  from  our  beds  to  witness. 
Yet  I  confess  that  I  felt  frightened.  Even  the  boldest 
of  men,  however  free  from  superstition,  might  be  excused 
should  their  nerve  fail  them  if,  when  standing  in  a 
churchyard  at  midnight,  suddenly  on  every  side  they  saw 
the  dead  arising  from  their  graves.  Also  our  surround 
ings  were  wilder  and  more  eerie  than  those  of  any  civil 
ized  burying-place. 

"  What  new  devilment  of  thine  is  this  ?  "  cried  Leo  in 
a  scared  and  angry  voice.  But  Ayesha  made  no  answer. 

I  heard  a  noise  behind  me  and  looked  round.  The 
skeletons  were  springing  upon  our  body-guard,  who  for 
their  part,  poor  men,  paralysed  with  terror,  had  thrown 
down  their  weapons  and  fallen,  some  of  them,  to  their 
knees.  Now  the  ghosts  began  to  stab  at  them  with  their 


THE   PROPHECY.   OF  ATENE  319 

phantom  spears,  and  I  saw  that  beneath  the  blows  they 
rolled  over.  The  veiled  figure  above  me  pointed  with 
her  hand  at  Leo  and  said — 

"  Seize  him,  but  I  charge  you,  harm  him  not." 

I  knew  the  voice ;  it  was  that  of  Atene! 

Then  too  late  I  understood  the  trap  into  which  we  had 
fallen. 

"  Treachery !  "  I  began  to  cry,  and  before  the  word  was 
out  of  my  lips,  a  particularly  able-bodied  skeleton  silenced 
me  with  a  violent  blow  upon  the  head.  But  though  I 
could  not  speak,  my  senses  still  stayed  with  me  for  a  little. 
I  saw  Leo  fighting  furiously  with  a  number  of  men  who 
strove  to  pull  him  down,,  so  furiously,  indeed  that  his 
frightful  efforts  caused  the  blood  to  gush  out  of  his 
mouth  from  some  burst  vessel  in  the  lungs. 

Then  sight  and  hearing  failed  me,  and  thinking  that 
this  was  death,  I  fell  and  remembered  no  more. 

Why  I  was  not  killed  outright  I  do  not  know,  unless  in 
their  hurry  the  disguised  soldiers  thought  me  already 
dead,  or  perhaps  that  my  life  was  to  be  spared  also.  At 
least,  beyond  the  knock  upon  the  head  I  received  no  in 
jury. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

THE   LOOSING   OF   THE   POWERS 

WHEN  I  came  to  myself  again,  it  was  daylight.  I  saw 
the  calm,  gentle  face  of  Oros  bending  over  me  as  he 
poured  some  strong  fluid  down  my  throat  that  seemed 
to  shoot  through  all  my  body,  and  melt  a  curtain  in  my 
mind.  I  saw  also  that  beside  him  stood  Ayesha. 

"  Speak,  man,  speak,"  she  said  in  a  terrible  voice. 
"  What  hast  chanced  here  ?  Thou  livest,  then  where  is 
my  lord?  Where  hast  thou  hid  my  lord?  Tell  me — or 
die." 

It  was  the  vision  that  I  saw  when  my  senses  left  me 
in  the  snow  of  the  avalanche,  fulfilled  to  the  last  detail ! 

"  Atene  has  taken  him,"  I  answered. 

"  Atene  has  taken  him  and  thou  art  left  alive  ?  " 

"  Do  not  be  wrath  with  me,"  I  answered,  "  it  is  no 
fault  of  mine.  Little  wonder  we  were  deceived  after 
thou  hadst  said  that  thou  mightest  summon  us  ere  dawn." 

Then  as  briefly  as  I  could  I  told  the  story. 

She  listened,  went  to  where  our  murdered  guards  lay 
with  unstained  spears,  and  looked  at  them. 

"  Well  for  these  that  they  are  dead,"  she  exclaimed. 
"  Now,  Holly,  thou  seest  what  is  the  fruit  of  mercy.  The 
men  whose  lives  I  gave  my  lord  have  failed  him  at  his 
need." 

Then  she  passed  forward  to  the  spot  where  Leo  was 
captured.  Here  lay  a  broken  sword — Leo's — that  had 
been  the  Khan  Rassen's,  and  two  dead  men.  Both  of 
these  were  clothed  in  some  tight-fitting  black  garments, 
having  their  heads  and  faces  whitened  with  chalk  and 

320 


THE   LOOSING    OF    THE   POWERS      321 

upon  their  vests  a  rude  imitation  of  a  human  skeleton, 
also  daubed  in  chalk. 

"  A  trick  fit  to  frighten  fools  with,"  she  said  contemp 
tuously.  "  But  oh !  that  Atene  should  have  dared  to  play 
the  part  of  Ayesha,  that  she  should  have  dared !  "  and  she 
clenched  her  little  hand.  "  See,  surprised  and  over 
whelmed,  yet  he  fought  well.  Say !  was  he  hurt,  Holly  ? 
It  comes  upon  me — no,  tell  me  that  I  see  amiss." 

"  Not  much,  I  think,"  I  answered  doubtfully,  "  a  little 
blood  was  running  from  his  mouth,  no  more.  Look,  there 
go  the  stains  of  it  upon  that  rock." 

"  For  every  drop  I'll  take  a  hundred  lives.  By  my 
self  I  swear  it,"  Ayesha  muttered  with  a  groan.  Then 
she  cried  in  a  ringing  voice, 

"  Back  and  to  horse,  for  I  have  deeds  to  do  this  day. 
Nay,  bide  thou  here,  Holly;  we  go  a  shorter  path  while 
the  army  skirts  the  gorge.  Oros,  give  him  food  and 
drink  and  bathe  that  hurt  upon  his  head.  It  is  but  a 
bruise,  for  his  hood  and  hair  are  thick." 

So  wrhile  Oros  rubbed  some  stinging  lotion  on  my 
scalp,  I  ate  and  drank  as  best  I  could  till  my  brain  ceased 
to  swim,  for  the  blow,  though  heavy,  had  not  fractured 
the  bone.  When  I  was  ready  they  brought  the  horses  to 
us,  and  mounting  them,  slowly  we  scrambled  up  the  steep 
bed  of  the  water-course. 

"  See,"  Ayesha  said,  pointing  to  tracks  and  hoof-prints 
on  the  plain  at  its  head,  "  there  was  a  chariot  awaiting 
him,  and  harnessed  to  it  were  four  swift  horses.  Atene's 
scheme  was  clever  and  well  laid,  and  I,  grown  oversure 
and  careless,  slept  through  it  all !  " 

On  this  plain  the  army  of  the  Tribes  that  had  broken 
camp  before  the  dawn  was  already  gathering  fast ;  indeed, 
;the  cavalry,  if  I  may  call  them  so,  were  assembled  there  to 
the  number^  of  about  five  thousand  men,  each  of  whom 
had  a  led  horse.  Ayesha  summoned  the  chiefs  and  cap 
tains,  and  addressed  them. 

"  Servants  of  Hes,"  she  said,  "  the  stranger  lord,  my 


322  "A  YES  HA 

betrothed  and  guest,  has  been  tricked  by  a  false  priest 
and,  falling  into  a  cunning  snare,  captured  as  a  hostage. 
It  is  necessary  that  I  follow  him  fast,  before  harm  comes 
to  him.  We  move  down  to  attack  the  army  of  the  Khania 
beyond  the  river.  When  its  passage  is  forced  I  pass  on 
with  the  horsemen,  for  I  must  sleep  in  the  city  of  Kaloon 
to-nighL  What  sayest  thou,  Oros?  That  a  second  and 
greater  army  defends  its  walls?  Man,  I  know  it,  and  if 
there  is  need,  that  army  I  will  destroy.  Nay,  stare  not  at 
me.  Already  they  are  as  dead.  Horsemen,  you  accom 
pany  me. 

"  Captains  of  the  Tribes,  you  follow,  and  woe  be  to  that 
man  who  hangs  back  in  the  hour  of  battle,  for  death  and 
eternal  shame  shall  be  his  portion,  but  wealth  and  honour 
to  those  who  bear  them  bravely.  Yes,  I  tell  you,  theirs 
shall  be  the  fair  land  of  Kaloon,  You  have  your  orders 
for  the  passing  of  yonder  river.  I,  with  the  horsemen, 
take  the  central  ford.  Let  the  wings  advance." 

The  chiefs  answered  with  a  cheer,  for  they  were  fierce 
men  whose  ancestors  had  loved  war  for  generations. 
Moreover,  mad  as  seemed  the  enterprise,  they  trusted  in 
.their  Oracle,  the  Hesea,  and,  like  all  hill  peoples,  were 
easily  fired  by  the  promise  of  rich  plunder. 

An  hour's  steady  march  down  the  slopes  brought  the 
army  to  the  edge  of  the  marsh  lands.  These,  as  it  chanced, 
proved  no  obstacle  to  our  progress,  for  in  that  season  of 
great  drought  they  were  quite  dry,  and  for  the  same 
reason  the  shrunken  river  was  not  so  impassable  a  de 
fence  as  I  feared  that  it  would  be.  Still,  because  of  its 
rocky  bottom  and  steep,  opposing  banks,  it  looked  formid 
able  enough,  while  on  the  crests  of  those  banks,  in  squad 
rons  and  companies  of  horse  and  foot,  were  gathered  the 
regiments  of  Atene. 

WThile  the  wings  of  footmen  deployed  to  right  and  left, 
the  cavalry  halted  in  the  marshes  and  let  their  horses  fill 
themselves  with  the  long  grass,  now  a  little  browned  by 
frost,  that  grew  on  this  boggy  soil,  and  afterwards  drink 
some  water. 


THE   LOOSING    OF    THE   POWERS      323 

All  this  time  Ayesha  stood  silent,  for  she  also  had  dis 
mounted,  that  the  mare  she  rode  and  her  two  led  horses 
might  graze  with  the  others.  Indeed,  she  spoke  but  once, 
saying — 

"  Thou  thinkest  this  adventure  mad,  my  Holly?  Say, 
art  afraid  ?  " 

"  Not  with  thee  for  captain,"  I  answered.  "  Still,  that 
second  army " 

"  Shall  melt  before  me  like  mist  before  the  gale,"  she 
replied  in  a  low  and  thrilling  voice.  "  Holly,  I  tell  thee 
thou  shalt  see  things  such  as  no  man  upon  the  earth  has 
ever  seen.  Remember  my  words  when  I  loose  the  Powers 
and  thou  followest  the  rent  veil  of  Ayesha  through  the 
smitten  squadrons  of  Kaloon.  Only — what  if  Atene 
should  dare  to  murder  him  ?  Oh,  if  she  should  dare  !  " 

"  Be  comforted,"  I  replied,  wondering  what  she  might 
mean  by  this  loosing  of  the  Powers.  "  I  think  that  she 
loves  him  too  well." 

"  I  bless  thee  for  the  words,  Holly,  yet — I  know  he  will 
refuse  her,  and  then  her  hate  for  me  and  her  jealous  rage 
may  overcome  her  love  for  him.  Should  this  be  so,  what 
will  avail  my  vengeance?  Eat  and  drink  again,  Holly — 
nay,  I  touch  no  food  until  I  sit  in  the  palace  of  Kaloon — 
and  look  well  to  girth  and  bridle,  for  thou  ridest  far  and 
on  a  wild  errand.  Mount  thee  on  Leo's  horse,  which  is 
swift  and  sure ;  if  it  dies  the  guards  will  bring  thee 
others." 

I  obeyed  her  as  best  I  could,  and  once  more  bathed  my 
head  in  a  pool,  and  with  the  help  of  Oros  tied  a  rag 
soaked  in  the  liniment  on  the  bruise,  after  which  I  felt 
sound  enough.  Indeed,  the  mad  excitement  of  those  min 
utes  of  waiting,  and  some  foreshadowing  of  the  terrible 
wonders  that  were  about  to  befall,  made  me  forget  my 
hurts. 

Now,  Ayesha  was  standing  staring  upwards,  so  that  al 
though  I  could  not  see  her  veiled  face,  I  guessed  that  her 
eyes  must  be  fixed  on  the  sky  above  the  mountain  top.  I 


324  rAYESHA 

was  certain,  also,  that  she  was  concentrating  her  fearful 
will  upon  an  unknown  object,  for  her  whole  frame  quiv 
ered  like  a  reed  shaken  in  the  wind. 

It  was  a  very  strange  morning — cold  and  clear,  yet 
curiously  still,  and  with  a  heaviness  in  the  air  such  as  pre 
cedes  a  great  fall  of  snow,  although  for  much  snow  the 
season  was  yet  too  early.  Once  or  twice,  too,  in  that  utter 
calm,  I  thought  that  I  felt  everything  shudder;  not  the 
ordinary  trembling  of  earthquake,  however,  for  the  shud 
dering  seemed  to  be  of  the  atmosphere  quite  as  much  as 
of  the  land.  It  was  as  though  all  Nature  around  us  were 
a  living  creature  which  is  very  much  afraid. 

Following  Ayesha's  earnest  gaze,  I  perceived  that  thick, 
smoky  clouds  were  gathering  one  by  one  in  the  clear  sky 
above  the  peak,  and  that  they  were  edged,  each  of  them, 
with  a  fiery  rim.  Watching  these  fantastic  and  ominous 
clouds,  I  ventured  to  say  to  her  that  it  looked  as  though 
the  weather  would  change — not  a  very  original  remark, 
but  one  which  the  circumstances  suggested. 

"  Aye,"  she  aswered,  "  ere  night  the  weather  will  be 
wilder  even  than  my  heart.  No  longer  shall  they  cry  for 
water  in  Kaloon !  Mount,  Holly,  mount !  The  advance 
begins !  "  and  unaided  she  sprang  to  the  saddle  of  the 
mare  that  Oros  brought  her. 

Then,  in  the  midst  of  the  five  thousand  horsemen,  we 
moved  down  upon  the  ford.  As  we  reached  its  brink  I 
noted  that  the  two  divisions  of  tribesmen  were  already 
entering  the  stream  half  a  mile  to  the  right  and  left  of  us. 
Of  what  befell  them  I  can  tell  nothing  from  observation, 
although  I  learned  later  that  they  forced  it  after  great 
slaughter  on  both  sides. 

In  front  of  us  was  gathered  the  main  body  of  the  Kha- 
nia's  army,  massed  by  regiments  upon  the  further  bank, 
while  hundreds  of  picked  men  stood  up  to  their  middles 
in  the  water,  waiting  to  spear  or  hamstring  our  horses  as 
we  advanced. 


THE   LOOSING    OF    THE   POWERS      325 

Now,  uttering  their  wild,  whistling  cry,  our  leading 
companies  dashed  into  the  river,  leaving  us  upon  the 
bank,  arid  soon  were  engaged  hotly  with  the  footmen  in 
midstream.  While  this  fray  went  on,  Oros  came  to  Aye- 
sha  and  told  her  a  spy  had  reported  that  Leo,  bound  in  a 
two-wheeled  carriage  and  accompanied  by  Atene,  Simbri 
and  a  guard,  had  passed  through  the  enemy's  camp  at 
night,  galloping  furiously  towards  Kaloon. 

"  Spare  thy  words,  I  know  it,"  she  answered,  and  he 
fell  back  behind  her. 

Our  squadrons  gained  the  bank,  having  destroyed  most 
of  the  men  in  the  water,  but  as  they  set  foot  upon  it  the 
enemy  charged  them  and  drove  them  back  with  loss. 
Thrice  they  returned  to  the  attack,  and  thrice  were  re 
pulsed  in  this  fashion.  At  length  Ayesha  grew  impatient. 

'''  They  need  a  leader,  and  I  will  give  them  one,"  she 
said.  "  Come  with  me,  my  Holly,"  and,  followed  by  the 
main  body  of  the  horsemen,  she  rode  a  little  way  into  the 
river,  and  there  waited  until  the  shattered  troops  had 
fallen  back  upon  us.  Oros  whispered  to  me — 

"  It  is  madness,  the  Hesea  will  be  slain." 

'*  Thinkest  thou  so?  "  I  answered.  "  More  like  that  we 
shall  be  slain,"  a  saying  at  which  he  smiled  a  little  more 
than  usual  and  shrugged  his  shoulders,  since  for  all  his 
soft  ways,  Oros  was  a  brave  man.  Also  I  believe  that  he 
spoke  to  try  me,  knowing  that  his  mistress  would  take  no 
harm. 

Ayesha  held  up  her  hand,  in  which  there  was  no 
weapon,  and  waved  it  forwards.  A  great  cheer  answered 
that  signal  to  advance,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  this  frail, 
white-robed  woman  spoke  to  her  horse,  so  that  it  plunged 
deep  into  the  water. 

Two  minutes  later,  and  spears  and  arrows  were  flying 
about  us  §p  thickly  that  they  seemed  to  darken  the  sky. 
I  saw  men  and  horses  fall  to  right  and  left,  but  noth 
ing  touched  me  or  the  white  robes  that  floated  a  yard  or 
two  ahead.  Five  minutes  and  we  were  gaining  the  further 
bank,  and  there  the  worst  fight  began. 


326  A  YES  HA 

It  was  fierce  indeed,  yet  never  an  inch  did  the  white 
robes  give  back,  and  where  they  went  men  would  follow 
them  or  fall.  We  were  up  the  bank  and  the  enemy  was 
packed  about  us,  but  through  them  we  passed  slowly,  like 
a  boat  through  an  adverse  sea  that  buffets  but  cannot 
stay  it.  Yes,  further  and  further,  till  at  last  the  lines 
ahead  grew  thin  as  the  living  wedge  of  horsemen  forced 
its  path  between  them — grew  thin,  broke  and  vanished. 

We  had  passed  through  the  heart  of  the  host,  and  leav 
ing  the  tribesmen  who  followed  to  deal  with  its  flying 
fragments,  rode  on  half  a  mile  or  so  and  mustered.  Many 
were  dead  and  more  were  hurt,  but  the  command  was  is 
sued  that  all  sore-wounded  men  should  fall  out  and  give 
their  horses  to  replace  those  that  had  been  killed. 

This  was  done,  and  presently  we  moved  on,  three  thou 
sand  of  us  now,  not  more,  heading  for  Kaloon.  The  trot 
grew  to  a  canter,  and  the  canter  to  a  gallop,  as  we  rushed 
forward  across  that  endless  plain,  till  at  midday,  or  a  little 
after — for  this  route  was  far  shorter  than  that  taken  by 
Leo  and  myself  in  our  devious  flight  from  Rassen  and  his 
death-hounds — we  dimly  saw  the  city  of  Kaloon  set  upon 
its  hill. 

Now  a  halt  was  ordered,  for  here  was  a  reservoir  in 
which  was  still  some  water,  whereof  the  horses  drank, 
while  the  men  ate  of  the  food  they  carried  with  them; 
dried  meat  and  barley  meal.  Here,  too,  more  spies  met 
us,  who  said  that  the  great  army  of  Atene  was  posted 
guarding  the  city  bridges,  and  that  to  attack  it  with  our 
little  force  would  mean  destruction.  But  Ayesha  took  no 
heed  of  their  words ;  indeed,  she  scarcely  seemed  to  hear 
them.  Only  she  ordered  that  all  wearied  horses  shoul'd 
be  abandoned  and  fresh  ones  mounted. 

Forward  again  for  hour  after  hour,  in  perfect  silence 
save  for  the  thunder  of  our  horses'  hoofs.  No  word 
spoke  Ayesha,  nor  did  her  wild  escort  speak,  only  from 
time  to  time  they  looked  over  their  shoulders  and  pointed 
with  their  red  spears  at  the  red  sky  behind. 


THE   LOOSING    OF   THE   POWERS      327 

I  looked  also,  nor  shall  I  forget  its  aspect.  The  dread 
ful,  fire-edged  clouds  had  grown  and  gathered  so  that 
beneath  their  shadows  the  plain  lay  almost  black.  They 
marched  above  us  like  an  army  in  the  heavens,  while  from 
time  to  time  vaporous  points  shot  forward,  thin  like 
swords,  or  massed  like  charging  horse. 

Under  them  a  vast  stillness  reigned.  It  was  as  though 
the  earth  lay  dead  beneath  their  pall. 

Kaloon,  lit  in  a  lurid  light,  grew  nearer.  The  pickets 
of  the  foe  flew  homeward  before  us,  shaking  their  jave 
lins,  and  their  mocking  laughter  reached  us  in  hollow 
echoes.  Now  we  saw  the  vast  array,  posted  rank  on  rank 
with  silken  banners  drooping  in  that  stirless  air,  flanked 
and  screened  by  glittering  regiments  of  horse. 

An  embassy  approached  us,  and  at  the  signal  of  Aye- 
sha's  uplifted  arm  we  halted.  It  was  headed  by  a  lord  of 
the  court  whose  face  I  knew.  He  pulled  rein  and  spoke 
boldly. 

"  Listen,  Hes,  to  the  words  of  Atene.  Ere  now  the 
stranger  lord,  thy  darling,  is  prisoner  in  her  palace.  Ad 
vance,  and  we  destroy  thee  and  thy  little  band;  but  if 
by  any  miracle  thou  shouldst  conquer,  then  he  dies.  Get 
thee  gone  to  thy  Mountain  fastness  and  the  Khania  gives 
thee  peace,  and  thy  people  their  lives.  What  answer  to 
the  words  of  the  Khania  ?  " 

Ayesha  whispered  to  Oros,  who  called  aloud — 
'  There  is  no  answer.     Go,  if  ye  love  life,  for  death 
draws  near  to  you." 

So  they  went  fast  as  their  swift  steeds  would  carry 
them,  but  for  a  little  while  Ayesha  still  sat  lost  in  thought. 

Presently  she  turned  and  through  her  thin  veil  I  saw 
that  her  face  was  white  and  terrible  and  that  the  eyes  in 
it  glowed  like  those  of  a  lioness  at  night.  She  said  to 
me — hissing  the  words  between  her  clenched  teeth — 

"  Holly/  prepare  thyself  to  look  into  the  mouth  of  hell. 
I  desired  to  spare  them  if  I  could,  I  swear  it,  but  my  heart 
bids  me  be  bold,  to  put  off  human  pity,  and  use  all  my 


328  rAYESHA 

secret  might  if  I  would  see  Leo  living.  Holly,  I  tell  thee 
they  are  about  to  murder  him! " 

Then  she  cried  aloud,  "  Fear  nothing,  Captains.  Ye 
are  but  few,  yet  with  you  goes  the  strength  of  ten 
thousand  thousand.  Now  follow  the  Hesea,  and  whate'er 
ye  meet,  be  not  dismayed.  Repeat  it  to  the  soldiers,  that 
fearing  nothing  they  follow  the  Hesea  through  yonder 
host  and  across  the  bridge  and  into  the  city  of  Kaloon." 

So  the  chiefs  rode  hither  and  thither,  crying  out  her 
words,  and  the  savage  tribesmen  answered — 

"  Aye,  we  who  followed  through  the  water,  will  follow 
across  the  plain.  Onward,  Hes,  for  darkness  swallows 
us." 

Now  some  orders  were  given,  and  the  companies  fell  into 
a  formation  that  resembled  a  great  wedge,  Ayesha  her 
self  being  its  very  point  and  apex,  for  though  Oros  and 
I  rode  on  either  side  of  her,  spur  as  we  would,  our  horses' 
heads  never  passed  her  saddle  bow.  In  front  of  that  dark 
mass  she  shone  a  single  spot  of  white — one  snowy  feather 
on  a  black  torrent's  breast. 

A  screaming  bugle  note — and,  like  giant  arms,  from  the 
shelter  of  some  groves  of  poplar  trees,  curved  horns  of 
cavalry  shot  out  to  surround  us,  while  the  broad  bosom  of 
the  opposing  army,  shimmering  with  spears,  rolled  for 
ward  as  a  wave  rolls  crowned  with  sunlit  foam,  and 
behind  it,  line  upon  line,  uncountable,  lay  a  surging  sea  of 
men. 

Our  end  was  near.    We  were  lost,  or  so  it  seemed. 

Ayesha  tore  off  her  veil  and  held  it  on  high,  flowing 
from  her  like  a  pennon,  and  lo!  upon  her  brow  blazed 
that  wide  and  mystic  diadem  of  light  which  once  only  I 
had  seen  before. 

Denser  and  denser  grew  the  rushing  clouds  above ; 
brighter  and  brighter  gleamed  the  unearthly  star  of  light 
beneath.  Louder  and  louder  beat  the  sound  of  the  falling 
hoofs  of  ten  thousand  horses.  From  the  Mountain  peak 
behind  us  went  up  sudden  sheets  of  flame ;  it  spouted  fire 
as  a  whale  spouts  foam. 


THE   LOOSING    OF    THE   POWERS      329 

The  scene  was  dreadful.  In  front,  the  towers  of  Kaloon 
lurid  in  a  monstrous  sunset.  Above,  a  gloom  as  of  an 
eclipse.  Around  the  darkling,  sunburnt  plain.  On  it 
Atene's  advancing  army,  and  our  rushing  wedge  of  horse 
men  destined,  it  would  appear,  to  inevitable  doom. 

Ayesha  let  fall  her  rein.  She  tossed  her  arms,  waving 
the  torn,  white  veil  as  though  it  were  a  signal  cast  to 
heaven. 

Instantly  from  the  churning  jaws  of  the  unholy  night 
above  belched  a  blaze  of  answering  flame,  that  also  wa 
vered  like  a  rent  and  shaken  veil  in  the  grasp  of  a  black 
hand  of  cloud. 

Then  did  Ayesha  roll  the  thunder  of  her  might  upon 
the  Children  of  Kaloon.  Then  she  called,  and  the  Terror 
came,  such  as  men  had  never  seen  and  perchance  never 
more  will  see.  Awful  bursts  of  wind  tore  past  us,  lifting 
the  very  stones  and  soil  before  them,  and  with  the  wind 
went  hail  and  level,  hissing  rain,  made  visible  by  the  ar 
rows  of  perpetual  lightnings  that  leapt  downwards  from 
the  sky  and  upwards  from  the  earth. 

It  was  as  she  had  warned  me.  It  was  as  though  hell  had 
broken  loose  upon  the  world,  yet  through  that  hell  we 
rushed  on  unharmed.  For  always  these  furies  passed  her 
fore  us.  No  arrow  flew,  no  javelin  was  stained.  The 
jagged  hail  was  a  herald  of  our  coming;  the  levens  that 
smote  and  stabbed  were  our  sword  and  spear,  while  ever 
the  hurricane  roared  and  screamed  with  a  million  separate 
voices  which  blended  to  one  yell  of  sound,  hideous  and  in 
describable. 

As  for  the  hosts  about  us  they  melted  and  were  gone. 

Now  the  darkness  was  dense,  like  to  that  of  thickest 
night ;  yet  in  the  fierce  flares  of  the  lightnings  I  saw  them 
run  this  way  and  that,  and  amidst  the  volleying,  elemental 
voices  I  heard  their  shouts  of  horror  and  of  agony.  I 
saw  horses  and  riders  roll  confused  upon  the  ground ;  like 
storm-drifted  leaves  I  saw  their  footmen  piled  in  high 


330  'AYES  HA 

and  whirling  heaps,  while  the  brands  of  heaven  struck  and 
struck  them  till  they  sank  together  and  grew  still. 

I  saw  the  groves  of  trees  bend,  shrivel  up  and  vanish. 
I  saw  the  high  walls  of  Kaloon  blown  in  and  flee  away, 
while  the  houses  within  the  walls  took  fire,  to  go  out  be 
neath  the  torrents  of  the  driving  rain,  and  again  take  fire. 
I  saw  blackness  sweep  over  us  with  great  wings,  and 
when  I  looked,  lo !  those  wide  wings  were  flame,  floods  of 
pulsing  flame  that  flew  upon  the  tormented  air. 

Blackness,  utter  blackness ;  turmoil,  doom,  dismay !  Be 
neath  me  the  labouring  horse ;  at  my  side  the  steady  crest 
of  light  which  sat  on  Ayesha's  brow,  and  through  the  tu 
mult  a  clear,  exultant  voice  that  sang — 

"  I  promised  thee  wild  weather !  Now,  Holly,  dost 
thou  believe  that  I  can  loose  the  prisoned  Powers  of  the 
world?" 

Lo!  all  was  past  and  gone,  and  above  us  shone  the 
quiet  evening  sky,  and  before  us  lay  the  empty  bridge, 
and  beyond  it  the  flaming  city  of  Kaloon.  But  the  armies 
of  Atene,  where  were  they  ?  Go,  ask  of  those  great  cairns 
that  hide  their  bones.  Go,  ask  it  of  her  widowed  land. 

Yet  of  our  wild  company  of  horsemen  not  one  was  lost. 
After  us  they  galloped  trembling,  white-lipped,  like  men 
who  face  to  face  had  fought  and  conquered  Death,  but 
triumphant — ah,  triumphant ! 

On  the  high  head  of  the  bridge  Ayesha  wheeled  her 
horse,  and  so  for  one  proud  moment  stood  to  welcome 
them.  At  the  sight  of  her  glorious,  star-crowned  counte 
nance,  which  now  her  Tribes  beheld  for  the  first  time  and 
the  last,  there  went  up  such  a  shout  as  men  have  seldom 
heard. 

"  The  Goddess!  "  that  shout  thundered.  "  Worship  the 
Goddess !  " 

Then  she  turned  her  horse's  head  again,  and  they  fol 
lowed  on  through  the  long  straight  street  of  the  burning 
city,  up  to  the  palace  on  its  crest. 


tossed  her  arms,  waving  the  torn,  white  veil  as  though  it 
were  a  signal  cast  to  heaven.'' 


THE   LOOSING    OF    THE   POWERS      331 

As  the  sun  set  we  sped  beneath  its  gateway.  Silence 
in  the  courtyard,  silence  everywhere,  save  for  the  distant 
roar  of  fire  and  the  scared  howlings  of  the  death-hounds 
in  their  kennel. 

Ayesha  sprang  from  her  horse,  and  waving  back  all 
save  Oros  and  myself,  swept  through  the  open  doors  into 
the  halls  beyond. 

They  were  empty,  every  one — all  were  fled  or  dead.  Yet 
she  never  paused  or  doubted,  but  so  swiftly  that  we  scarce 
could  follow  her,  flitted  up  the  wide  stone  stair  that  led 
to  the  topmost  tower.  Up,  still  up,  until  we  reached  the 
chamber  where  had  dwelt  Simbri  the  Shaman,  that  same 
chamber  whence  he  was  wont  to  watch  his  stars,  in  which 
Atene  had  threatened  us  with  death. 

Its  door  was  shut  and  barred;  still,  at  Ayesha's  com 
ing,  yes,  before  the  mere  breath  of  her  presence,  the  iron 
bolts  snapped  like  twigs,  the  locks  flew  back,  and  inward 
burst  that  massive  portal. 

Now  we  were  within  the  lamp-lit  chamber,  and  this  is 
what  we  saw.  Seated  in  a  chair,  pale-faced,  bound,  yet 
proud  and  defiant-looking,  was  Leo.  Over  him,  a  dag 
ger  in  his  withered  hand — yes,  about  to  strike,  in  the  very 
act — stood  the  old  Shaman,  and  on  the  floor  hard  by, 
gazing  upward  with  wide- set  eyes,  dead  and  still  majestic 
in  her  death,  lay  Atene,  Khania  of  Kaloon. 

Ayesha  waved  her  arm  and  the  knife  fell  from  Sim- 
bri's  hand,  clattering  on  the  marble,  while  in  an  instant 
he  who  had  held  it  was  smitten  to  stillness  and  became 
like  a  man  turned  to  stone. 

She  stooped,  lifted  the  dagger,  and  with  a  swift  stroke 
severed  Leo's  bonds ;  then,  as  though  overcome  at  last, 
sank  on  to  a  bench  in  silence.  Leo  rose,  looking  about 
him  bewildered,  and  said  in  the  strained  voice  of  one  who 
is  weak  with  much  suffering — 

"  But  just  in  time,  Ayesha.  Another  second,  and  that 
murderous  dog  " — and  he  pointed  to  the  Shaman — "  well, 
it  was  in  time.  But  how  went  the  battle,  and  how  earnest 


rAYESHA 

thou  here  through  that  awful  hurricane  ?    And,  oh,  Hor 
ace,  thank  heaven  they  did  not  kill  you  after  all !  " 
-  "  The  battle  went  ill  for  some/'  Ayesha  answered,  "  and 
I  came  not  through  the  hurricane,  but  on  its  wings.    Tell 
me  now,  what  has  befallen  thee  since  we  parted  ?  " 

"  Trapped,  overpowered,  bound,  brought  here,  told  that 
I  must  write  to  thee  and  stop  thy  advance,  or  die — re 
fused,  of  course,  and  then "  and  he  glanced  at  the 

dead  body  on  the  floor. 

"  And  then  ?  "  repeated  Ayesha. 

"  Then  that  fearful  tempest,  which  seemed  to  drive  me 
mad.  Oh !  if  thou  couldst  have  heard  the  wind  howling 
round  these  battlements,  tearing  off  their  stones  as  though 
they  were  dry  leaves ;  if  thou  hadst  seen  the  lightnings 
falling  thick  and  fast  as  rain " 

"  They  were  my  messengers.  I  sent  them  to  save  thee," 
said  Ayesha  simply. 

Leo  stared  at  her,  making  no  comment,  but  after  a 
pause,  as  though  he  were  thinking  the  matter  over,  he 
went  on — 

"  Atene  said  as  much,  but  I  did  not  believe  her.  I 
thought  the  end  of  the  world  had  come,  that  was  all. 
Well,  she  returned  just  now  more  mad  even  than  I  was, 
and  told  me  that  her  people  were  destroyed  and  that  she 
could  not  fight  against  the  strength  of  hell,  but  that  she 
could  send  me  thither,  and  took  a  knife  to  kill  me. 

"  I  said,  '  Kill  on/  for  I  knew  that  wherever  I  went 
thou  wouldst  follow,  and  I  was  sick  with  the  loss  of  blood 
from  some  hurt  I  had  in  that  struggle,  and  weary  of  it  all. 
So  I  shut  my  eyes  waiting  for  the  stroke,  but  instead  I 
felt  her  lips  pressed  upon  my  forehead,  and  heard  her 
say— 

; '  Nay,  I  will  not  do  it.  Fare  thee  well ;  fulfil  thou 
thine  own  destiny,  as  I  fulfil  mine.  For  this  cast  the  dice 
have  fallen  against  me ;  elsewhere  it  may  be  otherwise. 
I  go  to  load  them  if  I  may/ 

"  I  opened  my  eyes  and  looked.  There  Atene  stood,  a 
glass  in  her  hand — see,  it  lies  beside  her. 


THE   LOOSING    OF    THE   POWERS      333 

" '  Defeated,  yet  I  win/  she  cried,  '  for  I  do  but  pass 
before  thee  to  prepare  the  path  that  thou  shalt  tread,  and 
to  make  ready  thy  place  in  the  Under-world.  Till  we 
meet  again  I  pledge  thee,  for  I  am  destroyed.  Ayesha's 
horsemen  are  in  my  streets,  and,  clothed  in  lightnings  at 
their  head,  rides  Ayesha's  avenging  self.' 

"  So  she  drank,  and  fell  dead — but  now.  Look,  her 
breast  still  quivers.  Afterwards,  that  old  man  would 
have  murdered  me,  for,  being  roped,  I  could  not  resist 
him,  but  the  door  burst  in  and  thou  earnest.  Spare  him, 
he  is  of  her  blood,  and  he  loved  her." 

Then  Leo  sank  back  into  the  chair  where  we  had  dis 
covered  him  bound,  and  seemed  to  fall  into  a  kind  of  tor 
por,  for  of  a  sudden  he  grew  to  look  like  an  old  man. 

"  Thou  art  sick,"  said  Ayesha  anxiously.  "  Oros,  thy 
medicine,  the  draught  I  bade  thee  bring!  Be  swift,  I 
say." 

The  priest  bowed,  and  from  some  pocket  in  his  ample 
robe  produced  a  phial  which  he  opened  and  gave  to  Leo, 
saying — 

"  Drink,  my  lord ;  this  stuff  will  give  thee  back  thy 
health,  for  it  is  strong." 

"  The  stronger  the  better,"  answered  Leo,  rousing  him 
self,  and  with  something  like  his  old,  cheerful  laugh.  "  I 
am  thirsty  who  have  touched  nothing  since  last  night, 
and  have  fought  hard  and  been  carried  far,  yes — and  lived 
through  that  hellish  storm." 

Then  he  took  the  draught  and  emptied  it. 

There  must  have  been  virtue  in  that  potion ;  at  least, 
the  change  which  it  produced  in  him  was  wronderful. 
Within  a  minute  his  eyes  grew  bright  again,  and  the  col 
our  returned  into  his  cheeks. 

"  Thy  medicines  are  very  good,  as  I  have  learned  of 
old,"  he  said  to  Ayesha ;  "  but  the  best  of  all  of  them  is 
to  see  thee  safe  and  victorious  before  me,  and  to  know 
that  I,  who  looked  for  death,  yet  live  to  greet  thee,  my  be 
loved.  There  is  food,"  and  he  pointed  to  a  board  upon 


334 


'A  YES  HA 


which  were  meats,  "  say,  may  I  eat  of  them,  for  I 
starve  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  she  answered  softly,  "  eat,  and,  my  Holly,  eat 
thou  also." 

So  we  fell  to,  yes,  we  fell  to  and  ate  even  in  the  pres 
ence  of  .that  dead  woman  who  looked  so  royal  in  her 
death;  of  the  old  magician  who  stood  there  powerless, 
like  a  man  petrified,  and  of  Ayesha,  the  wondrous  being 
that  could  destroy  an  army  with  the  fearful  weapons 
which  were  servant  to  her  will. 

Only  Oros  ate  nothing,  but  remained  where  he  was, 
smiling  at  us  benignantly,  nor  did  Ayesha  touch  any 
food. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

THE  YIELDING   OF   AYESHA 

WHEN  I  had  satisfied  myself,  Leo  was  still  at  his  meal, 
for  loss  of  blood  or  the  effects  of  the  tremendous  nerve 
tonic  which  Ayesha  ordered  to  be  administered  to  him, 
had  made  him  ravenous. 

I  watched  his  face  and  became  aware  of  a  curious 
change  in  it,  no  immediate  change  indeed,  but  one,  I 
think,  that  had  come  upon  him  gradually,  although  I  only 
fully  appreciated  it  now,  after  our  short  separation.  In 
addition  to  the  thinness  of  which  I  have  spoken,  his  hand 
some  countenance  had  grown  more  ethereal ;  his  eyes  were 
full  of  the  shadows  of  things  that  were  to  come. 

His  aspect  pained  me,  I  knew  not  why.  It  was  no 
longer  that  of  the  Leo  with  whom  I  was  familiar,  'the 
deep-chested,  mighty-limbed,  jovial,  upright  traveller, 
hunter  and  fighting-man  who  had  chanced  to  love  and  be 
loved  of  a  spiritual  power  incarnated  in  a  mould  of  per 
fect  womanhood  and  armed  with  all  the  might  of  Na 
ture's  self.  These  things  were  still  present  indeed,  but  the 
man  was  changed,  and  I  felt  sure  that  this  change  came 
from  Ayesha,  since  the  look  upon  his  face  had  become 
exceeding  like  to  that  which  often  hovered  upon  hers  at 
rest. 

She  also  was  watching  him,  with  speculative,  dreamy 
eyes,  till  presently,  as  some  thought  swept  through  her,  I 
saw  those  eyes  blaze  up,  and  the  red  blood  pour  to  cheek 
and  brow.  Yes,  the  mighty  Ayesha  whose  dead,  slain  for 
him,  lay  strewn  by  the  thousand  on  yonder  plain,  blushed 
and  trembled  like  a  maiden  at  her  first  lover's  kiss. 

335 


336  UYESHA 

Leo  rose  from  the  table.  "  I  would  that  I  had  been 
with  thee  in  the  fray,"  he  said. 

"  At  the  drift  there  was  fighting,"  she  answered,  "  after 
wards  none.  My  ministers  of  Fire,  Earth  and  Air  smote, 
no  more ;  I  waked  them  from  their  sleep  and  at  my  com 
mand  they  smote  for  thee  and  saved  thee." 

"  Many  lives  to  take  for  one  man's  safety,"  Leo  said 
solemnly,  as  though  the  thought  pained  him. 

"  Had  they  been  millions  and  not  thousands,  I  would 
liave  spent  them  every  one.  On  my  head  be  their  deaths, 
not  on  thine.  Or  rather  on  hers,"  and  she  pointed  to  the 
dead  Atene.  "  Yes,  on  hers  who  made  this  war.  At 
least  she  should  thank  me  who  have  sent  so  royal  a  host 
to  guard  her  through  the  darkness." 

"  Yet  it  is  terrible,"  said  Leo,  "  to  think  of  thee,  beloved, 
red  to  the  hair  with  slaughter." 

"  What  reck  I  ?  "  she  answered  with  a  splendid  pride. 
"  Let  their  blood  suffice  to  wash  the  stain  of  thy  blood 
from  off  these  cruel  hands  that  once  did  murder  thee." 

"  Who  am  I  that  I  should  blame  thee  ?  "  Leo  went  on 
as  though  arguing  with  himself,  "  I  who  but  yesterday 
killed  two  men — to  save  myself  from  treachery." 

"  Speak  not  of  it,"  she  exclaimed  in  cold  rage.  "  I  saw 
the  place  and,  Holly,  thou  knowest  how  I  swore  that  a 
hundred  lives  should  pay  for  every  drop  of  that  dear  blood 
of  thine,  and  I,  who  lie  not,  have  kept  the  oath.  Look 
now  on  that  man  who  stands  yonder  struck  by  my  will 
to  stone,  dead  yet  living,  and  say  again  what  was  he 
about  to  do  to  thee  when  I  entered  here  ?  " 

"  To  take  vengeance  on  me  for  the  doom  of  his  queen 
and  of  her  armies,"  answered  Leo,  and  Ayesha,  "  how 
knowest  thou  that  a  Power  higher  than  thine  own  will 
not  demand  it  yet  ?  " 

As  he  spoke  a  pale  shadow  flickered  on  Leo's  face,  such 
a  shadow  as  might  fall  from  Death's  advancing  wing,  and 
in  the  fixed  eyes  of  the  Shaman  there  shone  a  stony  smile. 

For  a  moment  terror  seemed  to  take  Ayesha,  then  it 
was  gone  as  quickly  as  it  came. 


THE    YIELDING    OF   'AYES HA  337 

"  Nay,"  she  said.  "  I  ordain  that  it  shall  not  be,  and 
save  One  who  listeth  not,  what  power  reigns  in  this  wide 
earth  that  dare  defy  my  will  ?  " 

So  she  spoke,  and  as  her  words  of  awful  pride — for 
they  were  very  awful — rang  round  that  stone-built  cham 
ber,  a  vision  came  to  me — Holly. 

I  saw  illimitable  space  peopled  with  shining  suns,  and 
sunk  in  the  infinite  void  above  them  one  vast  Countenance 
clad  in  a  calm  so  terrific  that  at  its  aspect  my  spirit  sank 
to  nothingness.  Yes,  and  I  knew  that  this  was  Destiny- 
enthroned  above  the  spheres.  Those  lips  moved  and  obe 
dient  worlds  rushed  upon  their  course.  They  moved 
again  and  these  rolling  chariots  of  the  heavens  were 
turned  or  stayed,  appeared  or  disappeared.  I  knew  also 
that  against  this  calm  Majesty  the  being,  woman  or  spirit, 
at  my  side  had  dared  to  hurl  her  passion  and  her  strength. 
My  soul  reeled.  I  was  afraid. 

The  dread  phantasm  passed,  and  when  my  mind  cleared 
again  Ayesha  was  speaking  in  new,  triumphant  tones. 

"  Nay,  nay,"  she  cried.  "  Past  is  the  night  of  dread ; 
dawns  the  day  of  victory!  Look!"  and  she  pointed 
through  the  window-places  shattered  by  the  hurricane,  to 
the  flaming  town  beneath,  whence  rose  one  continual  wail 
of  misery,  the  wail  of  women  mourning  their  countless 
slain  while  the  fire  roared  through  their  homes  like 
some  unchained  and  rejoicing  demon.  "  Look  Leo  on 
the  smoke  of  the  first  sacrifice  that  I  offer  to  thy  royal 
state  and  listen  to  its  music.  Perchance  thou  deemst  it 
naught.  Why  then  I'll  give  thee  others.  Thou  lovest 
war.  Good !  we  will  go  down  to  war  and  the  rebellious 
cities  of  the  earth  shall  be  the  torches  of  our  march." 

She  paused  a  moment,  her  delicate  nostrils  quivering, 
and  her  face  alight  with  the  prescience  of  ungarnered 
splendours  ;.ihen  like  a  swooping  swallow  flitted  to  where, 
by  dead  Atene,  the  gold  circlet  fallen  from  the  Khania's 
hair  lay  upon  the  floor. 

She  stooped,  lifted  it,  and  coming  to  Leo  held  it  high 


338  AYESHA 

above  his  head.  Slowly  she  let  her  hand  fall  until  the 
glittering  coronet  rested  for  an  instant  on  his  brow.  Then 
she  spoke,  in  her  glorious  voice  that  rolled  out  rich  and 
low,  a  very  paean  of  triumph  and  of  power. 

"  By  this  poor,  earthly  symbol  I  create  thee  King  of 
Earth ;  yea  in  its  round  for  thee  is  gathered  all  her  rule. 
Be  thou  its  king,  and  mine !  " 

Again  the  coronet  was  held  aloft,  again  it  sank,  and 
again  she  said  or  rather  chanted — 

"  With  this  unbroken  ring,  token  of  eternity,  I  swear 
to  thee  the  boon  of  endless  days.  Endure  thou  while  the 
world  endures,  and  be  its  lord,  and  mine." 

A  third  time  the  coronet  touched  his  brow. 

"  By  this  golden  round  I  do  endow  thee  with  Wisdom's 
perfect  gold  uncountable,  that  is  the  talisman  whereat 
all  nature's  secret  paths  shall  open  to  thy  feet.  Victori 
ous,  victorious,  tread  thou  her  wondrous  ways  with  me, 
till  from  her  topmost  peak  at  last  she  wafts  us  to  our  im 
mortal  throne  whereof  the  columns  twain  are  Life  and 
Death." 

Then  Ayesha  cast  away  the  crown  and  lo !  it  fell  upon 
the  breast  of  the  lost  Atene  and  rested  there. 

"  Art  content  with  these  gifts  of  mine,  my  lord?  "  she 
cried. 

Leo  looked  at  her  sadly  and  shook  his  head. 

"  What  more  wilt  thou  then  ?  Ask  and  I  swear  it  shall 
be  thine." 

"  Thou  swearest ;  but  wilt  thou  keep  the  oath  ?  " 

"Aye,  by  myself  I  swear;  by  myself  and  by  the 
Strength  that  bred  me.  If  it  be  ought  that  I  can  grant — 
then  if  I  refuse  it  to  thee,  may  such  destruction  fall  upon 
me  as  will  satisfy  even  Atene's  watching  soul." 

I  heard  and  I  think  that  another  heard  also,  at  least 
once  more  the  stony  smile  shone  in  the  eyes  of  the  Sha 
man. 

"  I  ask  of  thee  nothing  that  thou  canst  not  give.  Aye 
sha,  I  ask  of  thee  thyself — not  at  some  distant  time  when 


THE    YIELDING    OF   AYESHA  339 

I  have  been  bathed  in  a  mysterious  fire,  but  now,  now  this 
night." 

She  shrank  back  from  him  a  little,  as  though  dismayed. 

"  Surely,"  she  said  slowly,  "  I  am  like  that  foolish  phi 
losopher  who,  walking  abroad  to  read  the  destinies  of  na 
tions  in  the  stars,  fell  down  a  pitfall  dug  by  idle  children 
and  broke  his  bones  and  perished  there.  Never  did  I 
guess  that  with  all  these  glories  stretched  before  thee  like 
mountain  top  on  glittering  mountain  top,  making  a  stair 
way  for  thy  mortal  feet  to  the  very  dome  of  heaven,  thou 
wouldst  still  clutch  at  thy  native  earth  and  seek  of  it — but 
the  common  boon  of  woman's  love. 

"  Oh !  Leo,  I  thought  that  thy  soul  was  set  upon  nobler 
aims,  that  thou  wouldst  pray  me  for  wider  powers,  for  a 
more  vast  dominion ;  that  as  though  they  were  but  yonder 
fallen  door  of  wood  and  iron,  I  should  break  for  thee  the 
bars  of  Hades,  and  like  the  Eurydice  of  old  fable  draw 
thee.  living  down  the  steeps  of  Death,  or  throne  thee  midst 
the  fires  of  the  furthest  sun  to  watch  its  subject  worlds  at 
play. 

"  Or  I  thought  that  thou  wouldst  bid  me  reveal  what 
no  woman  ever  told,  the  bitter,  naked  truth — all  my  sins 
and  sorrows,  all  the  wandering  fancies  of  my  fickle 
thought ;  even  what  thou  knowest  not  and  perchance  ne'er 
shalt  know,  who  I  am  and  whence  I  came,  and  how  to 
thy  charmed  eyes  I  seemed  to  change  from  foul  to  fair, 
and  what  is  the  purpose  of  my  love  for  thee,  and  what  the 
meaning  of  that  tale  of  an  angry  goddess — who  never 
was  except  in  dreams. 

"  I  thought — nay,  no  matter  what  I  thought,  save  that 
thou  wert  for  other  than  thou  art,  my  Leo,  and  in 
so  high  a  moment  that  thou  wouldst  seek  to  pass  the 
mystic  gates  my  glory  can  throw  wide  and  with  me  tread 
an  air  supernal  to  the  hidden  heart  of  things.  Yet  thy 
prayer  is  but  the  same  that  the  whole  world  whispers  be 
neath  the  silent  moon,  in  the  palace  and  the  cottage, 
among  the  snows  and  on  the  burning  desert's  waste.  '  Oh ! 


340  "AYESHA 

my  love,  thy  lips,  thy  lips.  Oh !  my  love,  be  mine,  now, 
now,  beneath  the  moon,  beneath  the  moon ! ' 

"  Leo,  I  thought  better,  higher,  of  thee." 

"  Mayhap,  Ayesha,  thou  wouldest  have  thought  worse 
of  me  had  I  been  content  with  thy  suns  and  constella 
tions  and  spiritual  gifts  and  dominations  that  I  neither  de 
sire  nor  understand. 

"  If  I  had  said  to  thee :  Be  thou  my  angel,  not  my 
wife ;  divide  the  ocean  that  I  may  walk  its  bed ;  pierce  the 
firmament  and  show  me  how  grow  the  stars ;  tell  me  the 
origins  of  being  and  of  death  and  instruct  me  in  their  is 
sues  ;  give  up  the  races  of  mankind  to  my  sword,  and  the 
wealth  of  all  the  earth  to  fill  my  treasuries.  Teach  me 
afso  how  to  drive  the  hurricane  as  thou  canst  do,  and  to 
bend  the  laws  of  nature  to  my  purpose  :  on  earth  make  me 
half  a  god — as  thou  art. 

"  But  Ayesha,  I  am  no  god ;  I  am  a  man,  and  as  a  man 
I  seek  the  woman  whom  I  love.  Oh!  divest  thyself  of  all 
these  wrappings  of  thy  power — that  power  which  strews 
thy  path  with  dead  and  keeps  me  apart  from  thee.  If  only 
for  one  short  night  forget  the  ambition  that  gnaws  un 
ceasingly  at  thy  soul ;  I  say  forget  they  greatness  and  be 
a  woman  and — -my  wife." 

She  made  no  answer,  only  looked  at  him  and  shook  her 
head,  causing  her  glorious  hair  to  ripple  like  water  be 
neath  a  gentle  breeze. 

"  Thou  deniest  me,"  he  went  on  with  gathering 
strength,  "  and  that  thou  canst  not  do,  that  thou  mayest 
not  do,  for  Ayesha,  thou  hast  sworn,  and  I  demand  the 
fulfilment  of  thine  oath. 

"  Hark  thou.  I  refuse  thy  gifts ;  I  will  have  none  of 
thy  rule  who  ask  no  Pharaoh's  throne  and  wish  to  do 
good  to  men  and  not  to  kill  them — that  the  world  may 
profit.  I  will  not  go  with  thee  to  Kor,  nor  be  bathed  in 
the  breath  of  Life.  I  will  leave  thee  and  cross  the  moun 
tains,  or  perish  on  them,  nor  with  all  thy  strength  canst 
thou  hold  me  to  thy  side,  who  indeed  needest  me  not.  No 


THE    YIELDING    OF  'AYESHA  341 

longer  will  I  endure  this  daily  torment,  the  torment  of 
thy  presence  and  thy  sweet  words ;  thy  loving  looks,  thy 
promises  for  next  year,  next  year — next  year.  So  keep 
thine  oath  or  let  me  begone." 

Still  Ayesha  stood  silent,  only  now  her  head  drooped  and 
her  breast  began  to  heave.  Then  Leo  stepped  forward ; 
he  seized  her  in  his  arms  and  kissed  her.  She  broke  from 
his  embrace,  I  know  not  how,  for  though  unreturned  it 
was  close  enough,  and  again  stood  before  him  but  at  a 
little  distance. 

"  Did  I  not  warn  Holly,"  she  whispered  with  a  sigh, 
"  to  bid  thee  beware  lest  I  should  catch  thy  human  fire  ? 
Man,  I  say  to  thee,  it  begins  to  smoulder  in  my  heart,  and 
should  it  grow  to  flame " 

"  Why  then,"  he  answered  laughing,  "  we  will  be  happy 
for  a  little  while." 

"  Aye,  Leo,  but  how  long  ?  Why  wert  thou  sole  lord 
of  this  loveliness  of  mine  and  not  set  above  their  harm 
ing,  night  and  day  a  hundred  jealous  daggers  would  seek 
thy  heart  and — find  it." 

"  How  long,  Ayesha  ?  A  lifetime,  a  year,  a  month,  a 
minute — I  neither  know  nor  care,  and  while  thou  art  true 
to  me  I  fear  no  stabs  of  envy." 

"Is  it  so?  Wilt  take  the  risk?  I  can  promise  thee 
nothing.  Thou  mightest — yes,  in  this  way  or  in  that,  thou 
mightest — die." 

"  And  if  I  die,  what  then?    Shall  we  be  separated?  " 

"  Nay,  nay,  Leo,  that  is  not  possible.  We  never  can 
be  severed,  of  this  I  am  sure;  it  is  sworn  to  me.  But 
then  through  other  lives  and  other  spheres,  higher  lives 
and  higher  spheres  mayhap,  our  fates  must  force  a  painful 
path  to  their  last  goal  of  union." 

"  Why  then  I  take  the  hazard,  Ayesha.  Shall  the  life 
that  I  can  risk  to  slay  a  leopard  or  a  lion  in  the  sport  ©f  an 
idle  hour,  be  too  great  a  price  to  offer  for  the  splendours 
of  thy  breast?  Thine  oath  {  Ayesha,  I  claim  thine  oath." 


342  AYES  HA 

Then  it  was  that  in  Ayesha  there  began  the  most  myste 
rious  and  thrilling  of  her  many  changes.  Yet  how  to 
describe  it  I  know  not  unless  it  be  by  simile. 

Once  in  Thibet  we  were  imprisoned  for  months  by 
snows  that  stretched  down  from  the  mountain  slopes  into 
the  valleys  and  oh !  how  weary  did  we  grow  of  those  arid, 
aching  fields  of  purest  white.  At  length  rain  set  in,  and 
blinding  mists  in  which  it  was  not  safe  to  wander,  that 
made  the  dark  nights  darker  yet. 

So  it  was,  until  there  came  a  morning  when  seeing  the 
sun  shine,  we  went  to  our  door  and  looked  out.  Behold 
a  miracle !  Gone  were  the  snows  that  choked  the  valley 
and  in  the  place  of  them  appeared  vivid  springing  grass, 
starred  everywhere  with  flowers,  and  murmuring  brooks 
and  birds  that  sang  and  nested  in  the  willows.  Gone  was 
the  frowning  sky  and  all  the  blue  firmament  seemed  one 
tender  smile.  Gone  were  the  austerities  of  winter  with  his 
harsh  winds,  and  in  their  place  spring,  companioned  by 
her  zephyrs,  glided  down  the  vale  singing  her  song  of  love 
and  life. 

There  in  this  high  chamber,  in  the  presence  of  the  living 
and  the  dead,  while  the  last  act  of  the  great  tragedy  un 
rolled  itself  before  me,  looking  on  Ayesha  that  forgotten 
scene  sprang  into  my  mind.  For  on  her  face  just  such  a 
change  had  come.  Hitherto,  with  all  her  loveliness,  the 
heart  of  Ayesha  had  seemed  like  that  winter  mountain 
wrapped  in  its  unapproachable  snow  and  before  her  pure 
brow  and  icy  self-command,  aspirations  sank  abashed  and 
desires  died. 

She  swore  she  loved  and  her  love  fulfilled  itself  in  death 
and  many  a  mysterious  way.  Yet  it  was  hard  to  believe 
that  this  passion  of  hers  was  more  than  a  spoken  part, 
for  how  can  the  star  seek  the  moth  although  the  moth  may 
seek  the  star?  Though  the  man  may  worship  the  god 
dess,  for  all  her  smiles  divine,  how  can  the  goddess  love 
the  man  ? 


THE    YIELDING    OF   AYESHA  343 

But  now  everything  was  altered !  Look !  Ayesha  grew 
human ;  I  could  see  her  heart  beat  beneath  her  robes  and 
hear  her  breath  come  in  soft,  sweet  sobs,  while  o'er  her 
upturned  face  and  in  her  alluring  eyes  there  spread  itself 
that  look  which  is  born  of  love  alone.  Radiant  and  more 
radiant  did  she  seem  to  grow,  sweeter  and  more  sweet, 
no  longer  the  veiled  Hermit  of  the  Caves,  no  longer  the 
Oracle  of  the  Sanctuary,  no  longer  the  Valkyrie  of  the 
battle-plain,  but  only  the  loveliest  and  most  happy  bride 
that  ever  gladdened  a  husband's  eyes. 

She  spoke,  and  it  was  of  little  things,  for  thus  Ayesha 
proclaimed  the  conquest  of  herself. 

"  Fie !  "  she  said,  showing  her  white  robes  torn  with 
spears  and  stained  by  the  dust  and  dew  of  war ;  "  Fie, 
my  lord,  what  marriage  garments  are  these  in  which  at 
last  I  come  to  thee,  who  would  have  been  adorned  in 
regal  gems  and  raiment  befitting  to  my  state  and  thine  ?  " 

"  I  seek  the  woman  riot  her  garment,"  said  Leo,  his 
burning  eyes  fixed  upon  her  face. 

"  Thou  seekest  the  woman.  Ah !  there  it  lies.  Tell 
me,  Leo,  am  I  woman  or  spirit?  Say  that  I  am  woman, 
for  now  the  prophecy  of  this  dead  Atene  lies  heavy  on 
my  soul,  Atene  who  said  that  mortal  and  immortal  may 
not  mate." 

'*  Thou  must  be  woman,  or  thou  wouldst  not  have  tor 
mented  me  as  thou  hast  done  these  many  weeks." 

"  I  thank  thee  for  the  comfort  of  thy  words.  Yet,  was 
it  woman  whose  breath  wrought  destruction  upon  yonder 
plain?  Was  it  to  a  woman  that  Blast  and  Lightning 
bowed  and  said,  '  We  are  here :  Command  us,  we  obey '  ? 
Did  that  dead  thing  (and  she  pointed  to  the  shattered 
door)  break  inwrard  at  a  woman's  will?  Or  could  a 
woman  charm  this  man  to  stone  ? 

"  Oh!  Leo,  would  that  I  were  woman!  I  tell  thee  that 
I'd  lay  all  my  grandeur  down,  a  wedding  offering  at  thy 
feet,  could  I  be  sure  that  for  one  short  year  I  should  be 
naught  but  woman  and — thy  happy  wife. 


344  'AYESHA 

"  Thou  sayest  that  I  did  torment  thee,  but  it  is  I  who 
have  known,  torment,  I  who  desired  to  yield  and  dared 
not.  Aye,  I  tell  thee,  Leo,  were  I  not  sure  that  thy  little 
stream  of  life  is  draining  dry  into  the  great  ocean  of  my 
life,  drawn  thither  as  the  sea  draws  its  rivers,  or  as  the 
sun  draws  mists,  e'en  now  I  would  not  yield.  But  I  know, 
for  my  wisdom  tells  it  me,  ere  ever  we  could  reach  the 
shores  of  Libya,  the  ill  work  would  be  done,  and  thou 
dead  of  thine  own  longing,  thou  dead  and  I  widowed  who 
never  was  a  wife. 

"Therefore  see!  like  lost  Atene  I  take  the  dice  and 
cast  them,  not  knowing  how  they  shall  fall.  Not  know 
ing  how  they  shall  fall,  for  good  or  ill  I  cast,"  and  she 
made  a  wild  motion  as  of  some  desperate  gamester  throw 
ing  his  last  throw. 

"  So,"  Ayesha  went  on,  "  the  thing  is  done  and  the 
number  summed  for  aye,  though  it  be  hidden  from  my 
sight.  I  have  made  an  end  of  doubts  and  fears,  and 
come  death,  come  life,  I'll  meet  it  tsravely. 

"  Say,  how  shall  we  be  wed?  I  have  it.  Holly  here 
must  join  our  hands;  who  else?  He  that  ever  was  our 
guide  shall  give  me  unto  thee,  and  thee  to  me.  This 
burning  city  is  our  altar,  the  dead  and  living  are  our  wit 
nesses  on  earth  and  heaven.  In  place  of  rites  and  cere 
monials  for  this  first  time  I  lay  my  lips  on  thine,  and 
when  'tis  done,  for  music  I'll  sing  thee  a  nuptial  chant  of 
love  such  as  mortal  poet  has  not  written  nor  have  mortal 
lovers  heard. 

"  Come,  Holly,  do  now  thy  part  and  give  this  maiden  to 
this  man." 

Like  one  in  a  dream  I  obeyed  her  and  took  Ayesha's 
outstretched  hand  and  Leo's.  As  I  held  them  thus,  I  tell 
the  truth' — it  was  as  though  some  fire  rushed  through  my 
veins  from  her  to  him,  shaking  and  shattering  me  with 
swift  waves  o.f  burning  and  unearthly  bliss.  With  the 
fire  too  came  glorious  visions  and  sounds  of  mighty  rrfusic, 


THE    YIELDING    OF   AYESHA  345 

and  a  sense  as  though  my  brain,  filled  with  over-flowing 
life,  must  burst  asunder  beneath  its  weight. 

I  joined  their  hands;  I  know  not  how;  I  blessed  them, 
I  know  not  in  what  words.  Then  I  reeled  back  against  the 
wall  and  watched. 

This  is  what  I  saw. 

With  an  abandonment  and  a  passion  so  splendid  and 
intense  that  it  seemed  more  than  human,  with  a  murmured 
cry  of  "  Husband !  "  Ayesha  cast  her  arms  about  her 
lover's  neck  and  drawing  down  his  head  to  hers  so  that 
the  gold  hair  was  mingled  with  her  raven  locks,  she  kissed 
him  OH  the  lips. 

Thus  they  clung  a  little  while,  and  as  they  clung  the 
gentle  diadem  of  light  from  her  brow  spread  to  his  brow 
also,  and  through  the  white  wrappings  of  her  robe  be 
came  visible  her  perfect  shape  shining  with  faint  fire. 
With  a  little  happy  laugh  she  left  him,  saying, 

"  Thus,  Leo  Vincey,  oh !  thus  for  the  second  time  do  I 
give  myself  to  thee,  and  with  this  flesh  and  spirit  all  I 
swore  to  thee,  there  in  the  dim  Caves  of  Kor  and  here 
in  the  palace  of  Kaloon.  Know  thou  this,  come  what  may, 
never,  never  more  shall  we  be  separate  who  are  ordained 
one.  Whilst  thou  livest  I  live  at  thy  side,  and  when  thou 
diest,  if  die  thy  must,  I'll  follow  thee  through  worlds  and 
firmaments,  nor  shall  all  the  doors  of  heaven  or  hell  avail 
against  my  love.  Where  thou  goest,  thither  I  will  go. 
When  thou  sleepest,  with  thee  will  I  sleep  and  it  is  my 
voice  that  thou  shalt  hear  murmuring  through  the  dreams 
of  life  and  death;  my  voice  that  shall  summon  thee  to 
awaken  in  the  last  hour  of  everlasting  dawn,  when  all 
this  night  of  misery  hath  furled  her  wings  for  aye. 

"  Listen  now  while  I  sing  to  thee  and  hear  that  song 
aright,  for  in  its  melody  at  length  thou  shalt  learn  the 
truth,  which  unwed  I  might  not  tell  to  thee.  Thou  shalt 
learn  who  "and  what  /  am,  and  who  and  what  thou  art, 
and  of  the  high  purposes  of  our  love,  and  this  dead 
woman's  hate,  and  of  all  that  I  have  hid  from  thee  in 
veiled,  bewildering  words  and  visions. 


346  AYESHA 

"  Listen  then,  my  love  and  lord,  to  the  burden  of  the 
Song  of  Fate." 

She  ceased  speaking  and  gazed  heavenwards  with  a 
rapt  look  as  though  she  waited  for  some  inspiration  to 
fall  upon  her,  and  never,  never — not  even  in  the  fires  of 
Kor  had  Ayesha  seemed  so  divine  as  she  did  now  in  this 
moment  of  the  ripe  harvest  of  her  love. 

My  eyes  wandered  from  her  to  Leo,  who  stood  before 
her  pale  and  still,  still  as  the  death-like  figure  of  the  Sha 
man,  still  as  the  Khania's  icy  shape  which  stared  up 
wards  from  the  ground.  What  was  passing  in  his  mind, 
I  wondered,  that  he  could  remain  thus  insensible  while  in 
all  her  might  and  awful  beauty  this  proud  being  wor 
shipped  him. 

Hark !  she  began  to  sing  in  a  voice  so  rich  and  perfect 
that  its  honied  notes  seemed  to  cloy  my  blood  and  stop  my 
breath. 

The  world  was  not,  was  not,  and  in  the  womb  of  Silence 

Slept  the  souls  of  men. 
Yet  I  was  and  thou 

Suddenly  Ayesha  stopped,  and  I  felt  rather  than  saw 
the  horror  on  her  face. 

Look !  Leo  swayed  to  and  fro  as  though  the  stones  be 
neath  him  were  but  a  rocking  boat.  To  and  fro  he  swayed, 
stretched  out  his  blind  arms  to  clasp  her — then  suddenly 
fell  backwards,  and  lay  still. 

Oh !  what  a  shriek  was  that  she  gave !  Surely  it  must 
have  wakened  the  very  corpses  upon  the  plain.  Surely 
it  must  have  echoed  in  the  stars.  One  shriek  only — then 
throbbing  silence. 

I  sprang  to  him,  and  there,  withered  in  Ayesha's  kiss, 
slain  by  the  fire  of  her  love,  Leo  lay  dead — lay  dead  upon 
the  breast  of  dead  Atene ! 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

THE  PASSING   OF  AYESHA 

I  HEARD  Ayesha  say  presently,  and  the  words  struck  me 
as  dreadful  in  their  hopeless  acceptance  of  a  doom  against 
which  even  she  had  no  strength  to  struggle. 

"  It  seems  that  my  lord  has  left  me  for  awhile ;  I  must 
hasten  to  my  lord  afar." 

After  that  I  do  not  quite  know  what  happened.  I  had 
lost  the  man  who  was  all  in  all  to  me,  friend  and  child  in 
one,  and  I  was  crushed  as  I  had  never  been  before.  It 
seemed  so  sad  that  I,  old  and  outworn,  should  still  live  on 
whilst  he  in  the  flower  of  his  age,  snatched  from  joy  and 
greatness  such  as  no  man  hath  known,  lay  thus  asleep. 

I  think  that  by  an  afterthought,  Ayesha  and  Oros  tried 
to  restore  him,  tried  without  result,  for  here  her  powers 
were  of  no  avail.  Indeed  my  conviction  is  that  although 
some  lingering  life  still  kept  him  on  his  feet,  Leo  had 
really  died  at  the  moment  of  her  embrace,  since  when  I 
looked  at  him  before  he  fell,  his  face  was  that  of  a  dead 
man. 

Yes,  I  believe  that  last  speech  of  hers,  although  she 
knew  it  not,  was  addressed  to  his  spirit,  for  in  her  burn 
ing  kiss  his  flesh  had  perished. 

When  at  length  I  recovered  myself  a  little,  it  was  to 
hear  Ayesha  in  a  cold,  calm  voice — her  face  I  could  not  see 
for  she  had  veiled  herself — commanding  certain  priests 
who  had  been  summoned  to  "  bear  away  the  body  of  that 
accursed  woman  and  bury  her  as  befits  her  rank."  Even 
then  I  bethought  me,  I  remember,  of  the  tale  of  Jehu  and 
Jezebel. 

347 


348  'AYESHA 

Leo,  looking  strangely  calm  and  happy,  lay  now  upon 
a  couch,  the  arms  folded  on  his  breast.  When  the  priests 
had  tramped  away  carrying  their  royal  burden,  Ayesha, 
who  sat  by  his  body  brooding,  seemed  to  awake,  for  she 
rose  and  said — 

"  I  need  a  messenger,  and  for  no  common  journey, 
since  he  must  search  out  the  habitations  of  the  Shades," 
and  she  turned  herself  towards  Oros  and  appeared  to  look 
at  him. 

Now  for  the  first  time  I  saw  that  priest  change  counte 
nance  a  little,  for  the  eternal  smile,  of  which  even  this 
scene  had  not  quite  rid  it,  left  his  face  and  he  grew  pale 
and  trembled. 

"  Thou  art  afraid,"  she  said  contemptuously.  "  Be  at 
rest,  Oros,  I  will  not  send  one  who  is  afraid.  Holly,  wilt 
thou  go  for  me — and  him  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  I  answered.  "  I  am  weary  of  life  and  desire  no 
other  end.  Only  let  it  be  swift  and  painless." 

She  mused  a  while,  then  said — 

"  Nay,  thy  time  is  not  yet,  thou  still  hast  work  to  do. 
Endure,  my  Holly,  'tis  only  for  a  breath." 

Then  she  looked  at  the  Shaman,  the  man  turned  to 
stone  who  all  this  while  had  stood  there  as  a  statue  stands, 
and  cried — 

"Awake!" 

Instantly  he  seemed  to  thaw  into  life,  his  limbs  relaxed, 
his  breast  heaved,  he  was  as  he  had  always  been :  ancient, 
gnarled,  malevolent. 

"  I  hear  thee,  mistress,"  he  said,  bowing  as  a  man  bows 
to  the  power  that  he  hates. 

"  Thou  seest,  Simbri,"  and  she  waved  her  hand. 

"  I  see.  Things  have  befallen  as  Atene  and  I  fore 
told,  have  they  not  ?  '  Ere  long  the  corpse  of  a  new- 
crowned  Khan  of  Kaloon,'  "  and  he  pointed  to  the  gold 
circlet  that  Ayesha  had  set  on  Leo's  brow,  "  '  will  lie  upon 
the  brink  of  the  Pit  of  Flame ' — as  I  foretold."  An  evil 
smile  crept  into  his  eyes  and  he  went  on — 


THE   PASSING    OF   'AYESHA  349 

"  Hadst  thou  not  smote  me  dumb,  I  who  watched  could 
have  warned  thee  that  they  would  sd  befall ;  but,  great  mis 
tress,  it  pleased  thee  to  smite  me  dumb.  And  so  it  seems, 
O  Hes,  that  thou  hast  overshot  thyself  and  liest  broken  at 
the  foot  of  that  pinnacle  which  step  by  step  thou  hast 
climbed  for  more  than  two  thousand  weary  years.  See 
what  thou  hast  bought  at  the  price  of  countless  lives  that 
now  before  the  throne  of  Judgment  bring  accusations 
against  thy  powers  misused,  and  cry  out  for  justice  on  thy 
head,"  -and  he  looked  at  the  dead  form  of  Leo. 

4'k  I  sorrow  for  them,  yet,  Simbri,  they  were  well  spent," 
Ayesha  answered  reflectively,  "  who  by  their  fore  written 
doom,  as  it  was  decreed,  held  thy  knife  from  falling  and 
thus  won  me  my  husband.  Aye  and  I  am  happy — hap 
pier  than  such  blind  bats  as  thou  can  see  or  guess.  For 
know  that  now  with  him  I  have  re-wed  my  wandering 
soul  divorced  by  sin  from  me,  and  that  of  our  marriage 
kiss  which  burned  his  life  away  there  shall  still  be  born 
to  us  children  of  Forgiveness  and  eternal  Grace  and  all 
things  that  are  pure  and  fair. 

"  Look  thou,  Simbri,  I  will  honour  thee.  Thou  shalt 
be  my  messenger,  and  beware!  beware  I  say  how  thou 
dost  fulfil  thine  office,  since  of  every  syllable  thou  must 
render  an  account. 

"  Go  thou  down  the  dark  paths  of  Death,  and,  since 
even  my  thought  may  not  reach  to  where  he  sleeps  to 
night,  search  out  my  lord  and  say  to  him  that  the  feet  of 
his  spouse  Ayesha  are  following  fast.  Bid  him  have  no 
fear  for  me  who  by  this  last  sorrow  have  atoned  my 
crimes  and  am  in  his  embrace  regenerate.  Tell  him  that 
thus  it  was  appointed,  and  thus  is  best,  since  now  he  is 
dipped  indeed  in  the  eternal  Flame  of  Life ;  now  for  him 
the  mortal  night  is  done  and  the  everlasting  day  arises. 
Command  him  that  he  await  me  in  the  Gate  of  Death 
where  it  is  granted  that  I  greet  him  presently.  Thou 
nearest?" 

"  I  hear,  O  Queen,  Mighty-from-of-Old." 


350  AYESHA 

"  One  message  more.  Say  to  Atene  that  I  forgive  her. 
Her  heart  was  high  and  greatly  did  she  play  her  part. 
There  in  the  Gates  we  will  balance  our  account.  Thou 
nearest?" 

"  I  hear,  O  Eternal  Star  that  hath  conquered  Night." 

"  Then,  man,  begone! " 

As  the  word  left  Ayesha's  lips  Simbri  leapt  from  the 
floor,  grasping  at  the  air  as  though  he  would  clutch  his 
own  departing  soul,  staggered  back  against  the  board 
where  Leo  and  I  had  eaten,  overthrowing  it,  and  amid  a 
ruin  of  gold  and  silver  vessels,  fell  down  and  died. 

She  looked  at  him,  then  said  to  me — 

"  See,  though  he  ever  hated  me,  this  magician  who  has 
known  Ayesha  from  the  first,  did  homage  to  my  ancient 
majesty  at  last,  when  lies  and  defiance  would  serve  his 
end  no  more.  No  longer  now  do  I  hear  the  name  that 
his  dead  mistress  gave  to  me.  The  '  Star-that-hath- 
fallen  '  in  his  lips  and  in  very  truth  is  become  the  '  Star- 
which-hath-burst-the-bonds-of-Night,'  and,  re-arisen, 
shines  for  ever — shines  with  its  twin  immortal  to  set  no 
more — my  Holly.  Well,  he  is  gone,  and  ere  now,  those 
that  serve  me  in  the  Under-world — dost  remember? — 
thou  sawest  their  captains  in  the  Sanctuary — bend  the 
head  at  great  Ayesha's  word  and  make  her  place  ready 
near  her  spouse. 

"  But  oh,  what  folly  has  been  mine.  When  even  here 
my  wrath  can  show  such  power,  how  could  I  hope  that 
my  lord  would  outlive  the  fires  of  my  love  ?  Still  it  was 
better  so,  for  he  sought  not  the  pomp  I  would  have  given 
him,  nor  desired  the  death  of  men.  Yet  such  pomp  must 
have  been  his  portion  in  this  poor  shadow  of  a  world,  and 
the  steps  that  encircle  an  usurper's  throne  are  ever  slip- 
pery  with  blood. 

"  Thou  art  weary,  my  Holly,  go  rest  thee.  To-morrow 
night  we  journey  to  the  Mountain,  there  to  celebrate  these 
obsequies." 

I  crept  into  the  room  adjoining — it  had  been  Simbri's, 


THE   PASSING    OF   AYES  HA  351 

and  laid  me  down  upon  his  bed,  but  to  sleep  I  was  not 
able.  Its  door  was  open,  and  in  the  light  of  the  burning 
city  that  shone  through  the  casements  I  could  see  Ayesha 
watching  by  her  dead.  Hour  after  hour  she  watched,  her 
head  resting  on  her  hand,  silent,  stirless.  She  wept  not, 
no  sigh  escaped  her;  only  watched  as  a  tender  woman 
watches  a  slumbering  babe  that  she  knows  will  awake  at 
dawn. 

Her  face  was  unveiled  and  I  perceived  that  it  had 
greatly  changed.  All  pride  and  anger  were  departed  from 
it ;  it  was  grown  soft,  wistful,  yet  full  of  confidence  and 
quietness.  For  a  while  I  could  not  think  of  what  it  re 
minded  me,  till  suddenly  I  remembered.  Now  it  was 
like,  indeed  the  counterpart  almost,  of  the  holy  and  ma 
jestic  semblance  of  the  statue  of  the  Mother  in  the  Sanc 
tuary.  Yes,  with  just  such  a  look  of  love  and  power  as 
that  mother  cast  upon  her  frightened  child  new-risen  from 
its  dream  of  death,  did  Ayesha  gaze  upon  her  dead,  while 
her  parted  lips  also  seemed  to  whisper  "  some  tale  of  hope, 
sure  and  immortal." 

At  length  she  rose  and  came  into  my  chamber. 

"  Thou  thinkest  me  fallen  and  dost  grieve  for  me,  my 
Holly,"  she  said  in  a  gentle  voice,  "  knowing  my  fears 
lest  some  such  fate  should  overtake  my  lord." 

<(  Ay,  Ayesha,  I  grieve  for  thee  as  for  myself." 

"  Spare  then  thy  pity,  Holly,  since  although  the  human 
part  of  me  would  have  kept  him  on  the  earth,  now  my 
spirit  doth  rejoice  that  for  a  while  he  has  burst  his  mortal 
bonds.  For  many  an  age,  although  I  knew  it  not,  in  my 
proud  defiance  of  the  Universal  Law,  I  have  fought 
against  his  true  weal  and  mine.  Thrice  have  I  and  the 
angel  wrestled,  matching  strength  with  strength,  and 
thrice  has  he  conquered  me.  Yet  as  he  bore  away  his 
prize  this  night  he  whispered  wisdom  in  my  ear.  This 
was  his  message :  That  in  death  is  love's  home,  in  death 
its  strength ;  that  from  the  charnel-house  of  life  this  love 
springs  again  glorified  and  pure,  to  reign  a  conqueror  for 


352  'AYES  HA 

ever.  Therefore  I  wipe  away  my  tears  and,  crowned  once 
more  a  queen  of  peace,  I  go  to  join  him  whom  we  have 
lost,  there  where  he  awaits  us,  as  it  is  granted  to  me  that 
I  shall  do, 

"  But  I  am  selfish,  and  forgot.  Thou  needest  rest. 
vSleep,  friend,  I  bid  thee  sleep." 

And  I  slept  wondering  as  my  eyes  closed  whence  Aye- 
sha  drew  this  strange  confidence  and  comfort.  I  know 
not  but  it  was  there,  real  and  not  assumed.  I  can  only 
suppose  therefore  that  some  illumination  had  fallen  on  her 
soul,  and  that,  as  she  stated,  the  love  and  end  of  Leo  in  a 
way  unknown,  did  suffice  to  satisfy  her  court  of  sins. 

At  the  least  those  sins  and  all  the  load  of  death  that  lay 
at  her  door  never  seemed  to  trouble  her  at  all.  She  ap 
peared  to  look  upon  them  merely  as  events  which  were 
destined  to  occur,  as  inevitable  fruits  of  a  seed  sowed 
long  ago  by  the  hand  of  Fate  for  whose  workings  she  was 
not  responsible.  The  fears  and  considerations  which 
weigh  with  mortals  did  not  affect  or  oppress  her.  In  this 
as  in  other  matters,  Ayesha  was  a  law  unto  herself. 

When  I  awoke  it  was  day,  and  through  the  window- 
place  I  saw  the  rain  that  the  people  of  Kaloon  had  so 
long  desired  falling  in  one  straight  sheet.  I  saw  also  that 
Ayesha,  seated  by  the  shrouded  form  of  Leo,  was  giving 
orders  to  her  priests  and  captains  and  to  some  nobles,  who 
had  survived  the  slaughter  of  Kaloon,  as  to  the  new  gov 
ernment  of  the  land.  .Then  I  slept  again. 


It  was  evening,  and  Ayesha  stood  at  my  bedside. 

"  All  is  prepared/'  she  said.  "  Awake  and  ride  with 
me." 

So  we  went,  escorted  by  a  thousand  cavalry,  for  the 
rest  stayed  to  occupy,  or  perchance  to  plunder,  the  land 
of  Kaloon.  In  front  the  body  of  Leo  was  borne  by  relays 
of  priests,  and  behind  it  rode  the  veiled  Ayesha,  I  at  her 
side. 


THE   PASSING    OF  AYESHA  353 

Strange  was  the  contrast  between  this  departure,  and 
our  arrival. 

Then  the  rushing  squadrons,  the  elements  that  raved, 
the  perpetual  sheen  of  lightnings  seen  through  the  swing 
ing  curtains  of  the  hail;  the  voices  of  despair  from  an 
army  rolled  in  blood  beneath  the  chariot  wheels  of  thun 
der. 

Now  the  white-draped  corpse,  the  slow-pacing  horses, 
the  riders  with  their  spears  reversed,  and  on  either  side, 
seen  in  that  melancholy  moonlight,  the  women  of  Kaloon 
burying  their  innumerable  dead. 

And  Ayesha  herself,  yesterday  a  Valkyrie  crested  with 
the  star  of  flame,  to-day  but  a  bereaved  woman  humbly 
following  her  husband  to  the  tomb. 

Yet  how  they  feared  her!  Some  widow  standing  on 
the  grave  mould  she  had  dug,  pointed  as  we  passed  to  the 
body  of  Leo,  uttering  bitter  words  which  I  could  not 
catch.  Thereon  her  companions  flung  themselves  upon 
her  and  felling  her  with  fist  and  spade,  prostrated  them 
selves  upon  the  ground,  throwing  dust  on  their  hair  in 
token  of  their  submission  to  the  priestess  of  Death. 

Ayesha  saw  them,  and  said  to  me  with  something  of 
her  ancient  fire  and  pride — 

"  I  tread  the  plain  of  Kaloon  no  more,  yet  as  a  parting 
gift  have  I  read  this  high-stomached  people  a  lesson  that 
they  needed  long.  Not  for  many  a  generation,  O  Holly, 
will  they  dare  to  lift  spear  against  the  College  of  Hes  and 
its  subject  Tribes." 

Again  it  was  night,  and  where  once  lay  that  of  the 
Khan,  the  man  whom  he  had  killed,  flanked  by  the  burn 
ing  pillars,  the  bier  of  Leo  stood  in  the  inmost  Sanctuary 
before  the  statue  of  the  Mother  whose  gentle,  unchanging 
eyes  seemed  to  search  his  quiet  face. 

On  her  throne  sat  the  veiled  Hesea,  giving  commands 
to  her  priests  and  priestesses. 

"  I  am  weary,"  she  said,  "  and  it  may  be  that  I  leave 


354  'AYESHA 

you  for  a  while  to  rest — beyond  the  mountains.  A  year, 
or  a  thousand  years — I  cannot  say.  If  so,  let  Papave,  with 
Oros  as  her  counsellor  and  husband  and  their  seed,  hold 
my  place  till  I  return  again. 

"  Priests  and  priestesses  of  the  College  of  Hes,  over 
new  territories  have  I  held  my  hand;  take  them  as  an 
heritage  from  me,  and  rule  them  well  and  gently.  Hence 
forth  let  the  Hesea  of  the  Mountain  be  also  the  Khania  of 
Kaloon. 

"  Priests  and  priestesses  of  our  ancient  faith,  learn  to 
look  through  its  rites  and  tokens,  outward  and  visible,  to 
the  in-forming  Spirit.  If  Hes  the  goddess  never  ruled 
on  earth,  still  pitying  Nature  rules.  If  the  name  of  Isis 
never  rang  through  the  courts  of  heaven,  still  in  heaven, 
with  all  love  fulfilled,  nursing  her  human  children  on  her 
breast,  dwells  the  mighty  Motherhood1  where  of  this  statue 
is  the  symbol,  that  Motherhood  which  bore  us,  and,  un- 
forgetting,  faithful,  will  receive  us  at  the  end. 

"  For  of  the  bread  of  bitterness  we  shall  not  always  eat, 
of  the  water  of  tears  we  shall  not  always  drink.  Beyond 
the  night  the  royal  suns  ride  on ;  ever  the  rainbow  shines 
around  the  rain.  Though  they  slip  from  our  clutching 
hands  like  melted  snow,  the  lives  we  lose  shall  yet  be 
found  immortal,  and  from  the  burnt-out  fires  of  our  hu 
man  hopes  will  spring  a  heavenly  star." 

She  paused  and  waved  her  hand  as  though  to  dismiss 
them,  then  added  by  an  after-thought,  pointing  to  my 
self— 

"  This  man  is  my  beloved  friend  and  guest.  Let  him 
be  yours  also.  It  is  my  will  that  you  tend  and  guard  him 
here,  and  when  the  snows  have  melted  and  summer  is  at 
hand,  that  you  fashion  a  way  for  him  through  the  gulf 
and  bring  him  across  the  mountains  by  which  he  came, 
till  you  leave  him  in  safety.  Hear  and  forget  not,  for  be 
sure  that  to  me  you  shall  give  account  of  him." 

The  night  drew  towards  the  dawn,  and  we  stood  upon 


THE   PASSING    OF   AYES  HA  355 

the  peak  above  the  gulf  or  fire,  four  of  us  only — Ayesha 
and  I,  and  Oros  and  Papave.  For  the  bearers  had  laid 
down  the  body  of  Leo  upon  its  edge  and  gone  their  way. 
The  curtain  of  flame  flared  in  front  of  us,  its  crest  bent 
over  like  a  billow  in  the  gale,  and  to  leeward,  one  by  one, 
floated  the  torn-off  clouds  and  pinnacles  of  fire.  By  the 
dead  Leo  knelt  Ayesha,  gazing  at  that  icy,  smiling  face, 
but  speaking  no  single  word.  At  length  she  rose,  and 
said, — 

"  Darkness  draws  near,  my  Holly,  that  deep  darkness 
which  foreruns  the  glory  of  the  dawn.  Now  fare  thee 
well  for  one  little  hour.  When  thou  art  about  to  die, 
but  not  before,  call  me,  and  I  will  come  to  thee.  Stir  not 
and  speak  not  till  all  be  done,  lest  when  I  am  no  longer 
here  to  be  thy  guard  some  Presence  should  pass  on  and 
slay  thee. 

"  Think  not  that  I  am  conquered,  for  now  my  name  is 
Victory !  Think  not  that  Ayesha's  strength  is  spent  or  her 
tale  is  done,  for  of  it  thou  readest  but  a  single  page. 
Think  not  even  that  I  am  to-day  that  thing  of  sin  and 
pride,  the  Ayesha  thou  didst  adore  and  fear,  I  who  in 
my  lord's  love  and  sacrifice  have  again  conceived  my 
soul.  For  know  that  now  once  more  as  at  the  beginning, 
his  soul  and  mine  are  one" 

She  thought  awhile  and  added, 

"  Friend  take  this  sceptre  in  memory  of  me,  but  beware 
how  thou  usest  it  save  at  the  last  to  summon  me,  for  it 
has  virtues,"  and  she  gave  me  the  jewelled  Sistrum  that 
she  bore — then  said, 

"  So  kiss  his  brow,  stand  back,  and  be  still." 

Now  as  once  before  the  darkness  gathered  on  the  pit, 
and  presently,  although  I  heard  no  prayer,  though  now 
no  mighty  music  broke  upon  the  silence,  through  that 
darkness,  beating  up  the  gale,  came  the  two-winged  flame 
and  hovered  where  Ayesha  stood. 

It  appeared,  it  vanished,  and  one  by  one  the  long  niin- 


356  'A  YES  HA 

utes  crept  away  until  the  first  spear  of  dawn  lit  upon  the 
point  of  rock. 

Lo !  it  was  empty,  utterly  empty  and  lonesome.  Gone 
was  the  corse  of  Leo,  and  gone  too  was  Ayesha  the  im 
perial,  the  divine. 

Whither  had  she  gone  ?  I  know  not.  But  this  I  know, 
that  as  the  light  returned  and  the  broad  sheet  of  flame 
flared  out  to  meet  it,  I  seemed  to  see  two  glorious  shapes 
sweeping  upward  on  its  bosom,  and  the  faces  that  they 
wore  were  those  of  Leo  and  of  Ayesha. 

Often  and  often  during  the  weary  months  that  followed, 
whilst  I  wandered  through  the  temple  or  amid  the  winter 
snows  upon  the  Mountain  side,  did  I  seek  to  solve  this 
question — Whither  had  She  gone?  I  asked  it  of  my 
heart;  I  asked  it  of  the  skies;  I  asked  it  of  the  spirit  of 
Leo  which  often  was  so  near  to  me. 

But  no  sure  answer  ever  came,  nor  will  I  hazard  one. 
As  mystery  wrapped  Ayesha's  origin  and  lives — for  the 
truth  of  these  things  I  never  learned — so  did  mystery 
wrap  her  deaths,  or  rather  her  departings,  for  I  cannot 
think  her  dead.  Surely  she  still  is,  if  not  on  earth,  then 
in  some  other  sphere? 

So  I  believe;  and  when  my  own  hour  comes,  and  it 
draws  near  swiftly,  I  shall  know  whether  I  believe  in 
vain,  or  whether  she  will  appear  to  be  my  guide  as,  with 
her  last  words,  she  swore  that  she  would  do..  Then,  too, 
I  shall  learn  what  she  was  about  to  reveal  to  Leo  when 
he  died,  the  purposes  of  their  being  and  of  their  love. 

So  I  can  wait  in  patience  who  must  not  wait  for  long, 
though  my  heart  is  broken  and  I  am  desolate. 

Oros  and  all  the  priests  were  very  good  to  me.  Indeed, 
even  had  it  been  their  wish,  they  would  have  feared  to 
be  otherwise,  who  remembered  and  were  sure  that  in 
some  time  to  come  they  must  render  an  account  of  this 
matter  to  their  dread  queen.  By  way  of  return,  I  helped 
them  as  I  was  best  able  to  draw  up  a  scheme  for  the 


THE   PASSING    OF  AYES  HA  357 

government  of  the  conquered  country  of  Kaloon,  and  with 
my  advice  upon  many  other  questions. 

And  so  at  length  the  long  months  wore  away,  till  at 
the  approach  of  summer  the  snows  melted.  Then  I  said 
that  I  must  be  gone.  They  gave  me  of  their  treasures  in 
precious  stones,  lest  I  should  need  money  for  my  faring, 
since  the  gold  of  which  I  had  such  plenty  was  too 
heavy  to  be  carried  by  one  man  alone.  They  led  me 
across  the  plains  of  Kaloon,  where  now  the  husbandmen, 
those  that  were  left  of  them,  ploughed  the  land  and 
scattered  seed,  and  so  on  to  its  city.  But  amidst  those 
blackened  ruins  over  which  Atene's  palace  still  frowned 
unharmed,  I  would  not  enter,  for  to  me  it  was,  and  al 
ways  must  remain,  a  home  of  death.  So  I  camped  out 
side  the  walls  by  the  river  just  where  Leo  and  I  had 
landed  after  that  poor  mad  Khan  set  us  free,  or  rather 
loosed  us  to  be  hunted  by  his  death-hounds. 

Next  day  we  took  boat  and  rowed  up  the  river,  past 
the  place  where  we  had  seen  Atene's  cousin  murdered,  till 
we  came  to  the  Gate-house.  Here  once  again  I  slept,  or 
rather  did  not  sleep. 

On  the  following  morning  I  went  down  into  the  ravine 
and  found  to  my  surprise  that  the  rapid  torrent — shallow 
enough  now — had  been  roughly  bridged,  and  that  in 
preparation  for  my  coming  rude  but  sufficient  ladders 
were  built  on  the  face  of  the  opposing  precipice.  At  the 
foot  of  these  I  bade  farewell  to  Oros,  who  at  our  part 
ing  smiled  benignantly  as  on  the  day  we  met. 

"  We  have  seen  strange  things  together,"  I  said  to 
him,  not  knowing  what  else  to  say. 

"  Very  strange,"  he  answered. 

"  At  least,  friend  Oros,"  I  went  on  awkwardly  enough, 
"  events  have  shaped  themselves  to  your  advantage,  for 
you  inherit  a  royal  mantle." 

"  I  wrap  myself  in  a  mantle  of  borrowed  royalty,"  he 
answered  with  precision,  "  of  which  doubtless  one  day  I 
shall  be  stripped." 


358  A  YES  HA 

"  You  mean  that  the  great  Hesea  is  not  dead  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  Hes  never  dies.  She  changes,  that  is 
all.  As  the  wind  blows  now  hence,  now  hither,  so  she 
comes  and  goes,  and  who  can  tell  at  what  spot  upon  the 
earth,  or  beyond  it,  for  a  while  that  wind  lies  sleeping? 
But  at  sunset  or  at  dawn,  at  noon  or  at  midnight,  it  will 
begin  to  blow  again,  and  then  woe  to  those  who  stand 
across  its  path. 

"  Remember  the  dead  heaped  upon  the  plains  of  Ka- 
loon.  Remember  the  departing  of  the  Shaman  Simbri 
with  his  message  and  the  words  that  she  spoke  then. 
Remember  the  passing  of  the  Hesea  from  the  Mountain 
point.  Stranger  from  the  West,  surely  as  to-morrow's 
sun  must  rise,  as  she  went,  so  she  will  return  again,  and 
in  my  borrowed  garment  I  await  her  advent." 

"  I  also  await  her  advent,"  I  answered,  and  thus  we 
parted. 

Accompanied  by  twenty  picked  men  bearing  provisions 
and  arms,  I  climbed  the  ladders  easily  enough,  and  now 
that  I  had  food  and  shelter,  cross  the  mountains  without 
mishap.  They  even  escorted  me  through  the  desert  be 
yond,  till  one  night  we  camped  within  sight  of  the  gigan 
tic  Buddha  that  sits  before  the  monastery,  gazing  eter 
nally  across  the  sands  and  snows. 

When  I  awoke  next  morning  the  priests  were  gone. 
So  I  took  up  my  pack  and  pursued  my  journey  alone, 
and  walking  slowly  came  at  sunset  to  the  distant  lama 
sery.  At  its  door  an  ancient  figure,  wrapped  in  a  tattered 
cloak,  was  sitting,  engaged  apparently  in  contemplation 
of  the  skies.  It  was  our  old  friend  Kou-en.  Adjusting 
his  horn  spectacles  on  his  nose  he  looked  at  me. 

"  I  was  awaiting  you,  brother  of  the  Monastery  called 
the  World,"  he  said  in  a  voice,  measured,  very  ineffectu 
ally,  to  conceal  his  evident  delight.  "  Have  you  grown 
hungry  there  that  you  return  to  this  poor  place  ? " 

"  Aye,  most  excellent  Kou-en,"  I  answered,  "  hungry 
for  rest." 


THE   PASSING    OF   AYES  HA  359 

"  It  shall  be  yours  for  all  the  days  of  this  incarnation. 
But  say,  where  is  the  other  brother  ?  " 

"  Dead/'  I  answered. 

"  And  therefore  re-born  elsewhere  or  perhaps,  dreaming 
in  Devachan  for  a  while.  Well,  doubtless  we  shall  meet 
him  later  on.  Come,  eat,  and  afterwards  tell  me  your 
story." 

So  I  ate,  and  that  night  I  told  him  all.  Kou-en  listened 
with  respectful  attention,  but  the  tale,  strange  as  it  might 
seem  to  most  people,  excited  no  particular  wonder  in  his 
rnind.  Indeed,  he  explained  it  to  me  at  such  length  by  aid 
of  some  marvellous  theory  of  re-incarnations,  that  at  last 
I  began  to  doze. 

"  At  least,"  I  said  sleepily,  "  it  would  seem  that  we  are 
all  winning  merit  on  the  Everlasting  Plane,"  for  I 
thought  that  favourite  catchword  would  please  him. 

"Yes,  brother  of  the  Monastery  called  the  World," 
Kou-en  answered  in  a  severe  voice,  "  doubtless  you  are 
all  winning  merit,  but,  if  I  may  venture  to  say  so,  you  are 
winning  it  very  slowly,  especially  the  woman — or  the 
sorceress — or  the  mighty  evil  spirit — whose  names  I  un 
derstand  you  to  tell  me  are  She,  Hes,  and  Ayesha  upon 
earth  and  in  Avitchi,  Star-that-hath- Fallen " 

(Here  Mr.  Holly's  manuscript  ends,  its  outer  sheets 
having  been  burnt  when  he  threw  it  on  to  the  fire  at  his 
house  in  Cumberland.) 


FINIS 


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THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  THE  CITIZEN,  by 
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Should  be  read  by  every  man  and  boy  in  America. 
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NEW  POPULAR  EDITIONS  OF 

MARY  JOHNSTON'S 
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It  was  something  new  and  startling  to  see  an  au 
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AUDREY 

With  the  brilliant  imagination  and  the  splendid 
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of  adventure.  Indeed  it  would  be  impossible  to 
carry  the  romantic  spirit  any  deeper  into  fiction. — 
Agnes  Repplier. 

PRISONERS  OF  HOPE 

Pronounced  by  the  critics  classical,  accurate,  inter 
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Great  Novels  of  Western  Life. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP  EDITIONS 
THE  BLAZED  TRAIL 

Mingles  the  romance  of  the  forest  with  the  romance  of 
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THE  SILENT  PLACES 

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A  tale  of  a  Western  mining  camp  and  the  making  of  a  man, 
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THE  WESTERNERS 

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THE  MAGIC  FOREST:     A  Modern  Fairy  Story. 

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VIA  CRUCIS  :  A  Romance  of  the  Second  Crusade. 

Illustrated  by  Louis  Loeb. 

Mr.  Crawford  has  manifestly  brought  his  best  qualities 
os  a  student  of  history,  and  his  finest  resources  as  a  master 
af  an  original  and  picturesque  style,  to  bear  upon  this  story. 

MR.  ISAACS  :  A  Tale  of  Modern  India. 

Under  an  unpretentious  title  we  have  here  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  novels  that  has  been  given  to  the  world. 

THE  HEART  OF  ROME. 

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SARACINESCA 

A  graphic  picture  of  Roman  society  in  the  last  days  of 
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SANT'  ILARIO  ;  A  Sequel  to  Saracinesca. 

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IN  THE  PALACE  OF  THE  KING  :  A  Love  Story 

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THE  PILLAR  OF  LIGHT 

"  Breathless  interest  is  a  hackneyed  phrase,  but  every 
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his  or  her  veins,  will  agree  that  the  trite  saying  applies  to 
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THE  WINGS  OF  THE  MORNING 

"  Here  is  a  story  filled  with  the  swing  of  adventure. 
There  are  no  dragging  intervals  in  this  volume  :  from  the 
moment  of  their  landing  on  the  island  until  the  rescuing 
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young  people — nor  for  the  reader  either." — New  York 
Times. 

THE  KING  OF  DIAMONDS 

"  Verily,  Mr.  Tracy  is  a  prince  of  story-tellers.  His 
charm  is  a  little  hard  to  describe,  but  it  is  as  definite  as 
that  of  a  rainbow.  The  reader  is  carried  along  by  the 
robust  imagination  of  the  author. — San  Francisco  Exam- 


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14  DAY  USE 

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